A Cold Reality
by DarkFoxKit
Summary: A story of the common nobody and the famous hero, the influential and the voiceless. Both must abandon everything they've known to wage a war that neither one believes in. The hero's heart aches while the nobody struggles to survive. And with PSI-enhanced tactics and an arms race in the shadows... how much more can Earth take? (written with Connor the Speling Pro)
1. Prologue

**DarkFoxKit: Hi Readers! Oh, what's this? I'm working on another Earthbound fanfiction? And with someone? Who could it be?**

 **Connor the Speling Pro: Hello, people! :) I said that I was going to take a break from updating, but… Well, guess that didn't last long. xD At the least, I won't be updating my main stories for a while. In case nobody remembers me, I was the one who wrote Time Distorter with Fox here. :)**

 **DarkFoxKit: Hey, you're one of the most popular Earthbound writers in this fandom! And anyways, I hope the people would enjoy this as much or more than Time Distorter.**

 **Connor: Yeah, but we're mixing things up a little with this fic. In Time Distorter, we each took different characters and alternated description paragraphs (roughly), which made it difficult to keep things consistent and on point. In this one, we're each taking different scenes. I'm writing a Ness PoV and Fox is writing Lucas. :)**

 **DarkFoxKit: Of course, since we're working more seperately this time around, the characters we control may not interact much with each other, and if they do we would probably keep it brief. But who knows? Plans can change and so do story structures. And I must apologize to Connor, I bugged him to write another Earthbound story with me because I was really inspired to write more Earthbound stories but didn't really want to work alone.**

 **Connor: Hey, I agreed because I'm excited about this too! :) And yeah, you can blame me if you don't like our new style where each person takes their own scenes. That was one of the things that I lobbied hard to Fox (since it's more fun and helps me improve to have complete control over my own scenes).**

 **DarkFoxKit: It's not so bad, it's kind of fun to write my own scene too, but most of the time I'm more worried how compatible our two very different writing styles would be between the two scenes.**

 **Connor: I guess we'll just have to see. Please leave a review telling us what you think about this story! It helps us a lot. :) And while we appreciate criticism, please try to keep it constructive. If you hate the story and have nothing to say that would help us… well, the back button is on the upper left.**

 **DarkFoxKit: Alright Connor, I think we've rambled on long enough. Let's let the readers get on with the story. We hope you guys enjoy our different scenes, characters and writing styles!**

* * *

 **A Cold Reality**

 **Prologue: A Friendly Visit and A New Country**

Ness shivered as an icy breeze blasted over his face, courtesy of Winters. He sniffled and wiped his nose while at the same time trying to shield his face from the sharp winds. Small bits of snow melted around his ankles as he took a step forward, and near-freezing water leaked into his shoes. It was almost enough to make him turn back.

 _Okay,_ Ness told himself. _You've been out here for less than a minute. Jeff has spent 14 years of his life in Winters. I think that you can take it._

Ness glanced at the grey lab in front of him that he almost mistook for a futuristic fortress with its cloudy windows and steel walls. Ness walked up and grabbed onto the door handle, promptly recoiling backwards and shaking his hand from the biting cold. He let out a startled cry and stuck his fingers in his mouth to warm them up.

Jeff opened the door from the inside and smiled. Ness took his hand out of his mouth and grinned, feeling the blood rise to his face. He hadn't seen Jeff in months, and _this_ was the first impression that he made? At least he could only go up from here.

"Yeah, I feel for that a couple times myself," Jeff said, the light from inside dancing on his glasses. "I call it a nonverbal IQ test."

"Hah," Ness said, breathing warm air on his hands. "Not funny."

"Why don't you come in?" Jeff said. "We have heating inside."

Ness perked up at the word "heating." He walked inside Dr. Andonuts' lab, his shoes making _squelch_ noises each time he took a step from all the water that leaked in.

"Yeah, you should probably take those off," Jeff said, looking at Ness' feet.

Ness pulled his shoes off without untying his laces and set them carefully next to the door. He looked at his socks and frowned. Then with a sigh, he grabbed onto them and peeled them off his feet, squirming to get them off his skin.

"Geez, Ness," Jeff said. "You make taking socks off look as intense as our battle with that Carbon Dog back at the Fire Spring."

"I hate wet socks," Ness said, putting them inside of his shoes. "And I hate the cold."

"I did not think that anyone was capable of putting so much loathing in their voice when talking about socks," Jeff said, walking back to a lab station and putting a pair of goggles on. "Sorry. I need to deal with this."

Ness watched as Jeff pulled a vial of chemicals down the drain. But didn't Jeff say that all physical objects were made up of chemicals? Well, the yellow liquid in the beaker looked like it belonged in a lab station rather than out in the environment, so Ness thought of it as a chemical in his mind.

"There," Jeff said, taking off his goggles. "Done with chemistry."

"Thankfully," Ness said. "You would be embarrassed by my skills. I spilled more beakers than I can count back in grade school."

"Well, it's not for everyone," Jeff said. "I prefer physics myself. Now, what brings you here?"

"I'm bored," Ness said.

"I'm afraid I can't do much to help you there."

"No, not like that. I mean that I have nothing to do, so I decided to drop by. With my teleportation PSI, it literally takes me less than a minute to get here."

"Ah, so that explains why you look like you're dressed for a summer hike," Jeff said. "You're just too lazy to change before you warp over here."

"If I'm going to be cold for less than a minute, why bother changing?" Ness paused. "I still hate wet socks, though."

"Yes, you never have approached situations delicately when you could instead barrel right through a challenge with your ridiculous stamina," Jeff said. "I got so many callouses on my feet from walking long distances on our adventure, and you still had to slow down your pace so that I could keep up."

Ness shrugged. He didn't really mind waiting up for Jeff. But then again, Jeff was always a little self-conscious about his slender build and lack of strength, so this might have been a personal image issue for him.

"So how have things been going?" Ness asked. "You're keeping busy?"

"Indeed," Jeff said. "But we should probably start with your side of things. I'll rant for days if you let me, and I already know that you're too nice to shut me up. Do you want some cocoa?"

"Yes please," Ness said. "I've been pretty busy as well. I teleported straight from the Nowhere Islands."

"What were you doing _there?_ " Jeff asked, pouring some milk into a pot and sticking it on a stove.

"Surveying the area," Ness said. "The pigmasks have gotten a lot more bold. They basically act as a centralized government for the islands."

"Well, it _is_ about time that those people unified," Jeff said, grabbing a case of cocoa powder. "But the pigmasks, though…"

"Yeah, and it's probably even worse than you've heard. They impose military rule on the towns that they occupy. That means a lot of surveillance and a lot of executions."

"Wow," Jeff said, nearly dropping the cocoa powder. "That sounds like something from medieval times."

"Well, we've had our share of recent organizations that inflict that sort of harm," Ness said. "Remember the global wars in the first half of the century?"

"No. I wasn't around to see them."

"You know what I mean," Ness said, rolling his eyes. "I'm afraid that these pigmasks could set off something big. We came closer than most people think to wiping ourselves out in the second global war. I don't know if the world can survive another large-scale conflict. I hope that I'm just being cynical and silly about this one."

"Well," Jeff said under his breath. "Maybe it's for the best."

"Hmm?" Ness said.

"Oh!" Jeff flinched, nearly spilling the pot of cocoa. "I didn't think that you could hear. Cocoa's ready."

"So soon?" Ness said.

Jeff poured two mugs of rich, chocolately liquid. Ness' mouth watered.

"We have all of the fancy stoves and ovens," Jeff said. "They can heat up milk quite quickly. But as I was saying…" Jeff brought the mugs over and handed one to Ness. "Well, why don't we sit down?"

Ness followed Jeff over to a table and sat down across from his friend. He sipped his cocoa, feeling it burn comfortably as it cascaded down his throat. He savored the sweet aftertaste before taking another sip.

"Don't tell my father that I made cocoa in here, all right?" Jeff said. "He would never let me forget it."

"Why?" Ness said. "Oh, this is where you do lab work, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I haven't worked with anything dangerous in months, so I'm sure it's fine, but my dad's a stickler about lab safety."

"We could have gone upstairs," Ness said. "I wouldn't have minded."

Jeff shrugged.

"Well, we're already here and I still need to explain myself," Jeff said. "Did you hear what I actually said back there?"

"Yeah, that something was for the best. I hope that you don't mean a global conflict."

"Of course not! I was talking about my research. Well, mostly my father's work, but I help too. You know about nuclear reactors, yes?"

"We learned about them in school," Ness said. "Matter is converted into energy and we can use that energy to power our homes. It seems pretty wild to me."

"Yeah. Our current method involves taking a large atom and knocking a little bit of it off, basically. That little bit turns into energy with the whole E = MC^2 equation that Einstein discovered. Its discovery changed the way that we see energy itself."

 _And it also allowed us to make bombs,_ Ness thought. _Bombs capable of ravaging entire cities._

"Thank goodness for the Fourside Convention, though," Ness said. "All of the nuclear reactors are in some remote area and nobody's allowed to know how to make weapons out of Uranium. Otherwise, I don't know how I would sleep at night."

"Thanks, Mr. History Textbook," Jeff said, cracking a smirk. "Although I'm not convinced that the world powers would really give up the nuclear bomb so easily. Either way…" Jeff hesitated.

"What is it?" Ness asked.

"There is a better way to harness nuclear energy," Jeff said. "If you mash small molecules together and create bigger ones, there is some leftover matter left that is converted into energy."

"Really," Ness said. "We never learned about that."

"It's information that the world governments doesn't like sharing," Jeff said, "Because of how dangerous it is. That process is how the sun gets its energy, by the way."

Ness blinked. He had never really thought about _how_ the sun gave off heat before. It just… did.

"Think about it, Ness," Jeff said, his eyes twinkling. "My father and I are planning to unlock the powers of the stars."

"But it could also be used to create even bigger bombs," Ness said. "Is that what you meant when you said that it was for the best?"

"I did not mean for you to hear," Jeff said. '...But yes."

"How can you say that?" Ness demanded. "That it's for the best to unlock the key to creating even larger weapons and holding them over the pigmasks' heads?"

"Fear is the ultimate motivator, for better or for worse," Jeff said, sipping his cocoa. "People are still scared of powerful weapons, Ness. Why do you think we had two global wars and then little to no conflict for the next 50 years?"

"I see a lot of conflict on the Nowhere Islands," Ness said, looking Jeff in the eye.

"Right. Fear is starting to lose its edge. Maybe it's time..." Jeff shook his head, looking down at the ground. "I don't really believe in holding powerful weapons over people either, Ness. It was just a musing from someone who often considers the hypothetical."

"Your fancy words won't make this any better," Ness said.

"All right!" Jeff said. "I'm sorry, Ness. I shouldn't have said it, but I'm still glad that I worked it out in my mind. It's something I had to consider before shooting down."

"You have to promise me," Ness said, "That if it looks like someone's going to make a bomb using your research, you'll _stop._ "

"I would need my father's approval…"

"Promise me, Jeff."

Jeff sighed, setting his mug of cocoa down on the table. He extended his hand outward.

"All right," Jeff said. "I promise."

"It's a deal then," Ness said, grabbing Jeff's hand and shaking it.

 _So this is the adult world,_ Ness thought. _Who knew that it would be so messy?_

* * *

 **One year later**

A ferry was going in-between an island and a content. The ferry was being used to carry people across, and those who want to leave and start over in a new life. A young adolescent boy with blue eyes, blond hair in a cowlick style, wears a yellow and red striped shirt and blue shorts along with a middle aged man wearing a cowboy-like style clothing, a red handkerchief scarf around his neck and a cowboy hat obscuring most of his upper face, were looking out to sea on the edge of the ferry.

"Once we reach America, Lucas, we'll have to find a suitable job right away," The man said to the adolescent boy. "We barely had enough money to afford this ride all the way to America."

"I know…" Lucas sighed softly. "I'm going to miss Nowhere Island and Tazmily Village, but it's good that we're finally moving away from the Pigmask's control. I don't think I could stand another day living like that."

The man tilted his hat. "You know, Lucas… you've changed since what happened to your mother, Hinawa and your twin brother three years ago… You used to be so much more timid."

"I had to. After what happened to them, the Pigmasks just took over and… well… they didn't really give us a choice, did they?" Lucas said bitterly.

"Yes, I know," The man sighed. "I just hope once we get to America things can get better for us."

"Me too," Lucas said, looking out to the endless blue sea.

"Excuse me, Mr. Flint?" A young, lanky man spoke up. "You're heading to America, correct?"

The man called Flint nodded, "Yes, is there a problem, sir?"

"There's just some protocols you should be aware of before we get there, sir," the man said. "Things have become a bit hectic over there. Crime rate is low but the laws are strict, so you better watch yourself while you're there. And I am supposed to ask this to anyone under the age 50… would you two like to join the cause?"

"What cause?" Flint asked.

Lucas frowned, having a bad feeling at the pit of his stomach.

"A cause for a higher future," the man said.

Lucas and Flint looked at each other, neither of them had heard about this before. And the last time someone talked about a 'better future' was when Nowhere Island was filled with brainwashing Happy Boxes and the Pigmask took over.

"Thanks, but we just want to live a peaceful life," Flint said. "Nothing more."

"They won't force you to join, sirs," the man said. "Okay, that is all I needed to say. Good day to you both."

"I thought America was a free country kind of place… I had hoped there weren't any Pigmask influences there," Flint sighed. "But I guess Nowhere Islanders like us would be the last to hear about it."

"We just couldn't find a place to live in peace, could we?" Lucas sighed. "America will probably just turn into what Nowhere Islands turned into when this so-called 'better future' comes to play."

"We'll just have to make do with what we can. We've already escaped from the Pigmask's reign, we can't regret that decision now. Maybe this cause may not be the same as the Pigmask's," Flint said. "Let's find a nice place to settle in, get nice paying jobs and just try to live in peace."

Lucas frowned, but nodded. He looked back out to sea and sighed, "I wish Mom and Claus were here…"

"Me too… but hopefully wherever they are, they're at peace," Flint said quietly.

"And I hope Fuel will forgive me for leaving him…"

"I'm sure Fuel understand," Flint tipped his hat. "He and the rest of Tazmily would've jumped at the chance to leave as well. Maybe we'll see him again someday in the future."

 _Yeah, someday in the future… you said the same thing about Claus three years ago…_ Lucas thought to himself bitterly, but decided not to say that to his father. Flint was only trying to help after all, losing Hinawa and Claus had been hard on both of them.

The content of America was finally coming into view. The ferry was going to dock at the harbor soon, and Lucas can finally have a new life with his father. No more Pigmasks, no more mourning of their past, no more barely making enough to live off of, and no more expectations of using his PSI.

Lucas had just about had it with some of the people on Tazmily Village, especially the ones who knew about his ability to use PSI, specifically PK Love. These specific people had too much expectations of him, they wanted him to release some big dragon to end the world or some other nonsense. Lucas refused to do that, and tried to pretend his PSI didn't exist. Now that they've moved to a whole new country they can start a whole new life.

Once the ferry had docked, Lucas and Flint picked up their bags and head down the drawbridge to step into a new land.

"Well, this is it, son. Welcome to America," Flint said with a small smile on his face.

Lucas nodded as he read the sign of the town they're in. "Looks like we're in a town called Ellay. Whoa, this place is much bigger than Tazmily."

"It certainly is," Flint said as the two of them walked into the city. "Hopefully that means there's more jobs for us to find here."

"But we should find a place to settle in first," Lucas said. "Maybe away from the city so we don't get caught up whatever 'better future' the high and mighty people have planned?"

"But we can't go far, not with the low amount of money we have right now," Flint said. "Let's just find a temporary apartment to rent until we can make enough money to move out of here and into someplace quieter."

"Okay… I Just hope we don't get caught up in this crap," Lucas said. "The last thing we need is more oppressors in our lives."

Flint tilted his hat before he said, "Then we better make this fast."

Lucas knew his dad was a strong and dependable man, however that may not be enough to get hired in a big city like this. The boy can only hope they'll find peace in their new homes, but that was just wishful thinking.


	2. Chapter 1: A New Era

**DarkFoxKit: Hey, looks like we're updating on Wednesday.**

 **Connor: Yeah, I think that we're going to stick to weekly updates on Wednesdays for now. We know that the prologue didn't really contain a lot of content, so that's why we're here today with the first chapter. :)**

 **DarkFoxKit: And we hope it'll get your attention more. So, shall we answer the reviews, Connor?**

 **Connor: Sure. I can't think of anything else to say. Thank you so far to everyone who's given this story a chance; we'll try to make it as good as possible from here on out (not that we weren't trying before haha).**

* * *

 **Joltik12** **: DarkFoxKit:** I'm glad you like the intro. You hear that Connor? Someone likes how you characterize Ness. :D

 **Connor:** Thanks! :) Hopefully you'll like my other characters just as much (and Fox's characters too, of course).

 **An Unknown Guest:** **Connor:** Ah, thanks! :) Yep, that's one of the strengths of co-writing: we can both write more or less separate stories in separate styles which helps differentiate the characters. Glad to know that we pulled it off okay. :D

 **Ninten64** **: DarkFoxKit:** Let's hope we don't disappoint then. I hope you will enjoy the story as it goes on! :)

* * *

 **Chapter 1: A New Era**

It had been a week since Lucas and his father Flint moved into Ellay, a city in America, and things haven't been looking up for them.

Because Lucas was only 15 years old and still a minor, he was expected to go to school, but he wanted to find a paying job instead.

 _We didn't have schools in Tazmily Village. Everything we learned, we've learned from experience rather than pencils, papers and books._ Lucas thought to himself.

So Lucas didn't really see the point in going to a school now, especially if he's going to be behind most other kids in the society's education system. Lucas chuckled to himself as he remembered the first day he and his dad came to Ellay.

Flint and Lucas had rented the cheapest apartment they could find and stay in. The room was a bit smelly, the furniture was falling apart, there were bugs and dust everywhere. It was a dump to say the least.

"I remember when Tazmily Village didn't even know the concept of money," Flint said as he wiped a finger on the dusty counter. "Everyone just did something for the other out of the goodness of their heart. Jackie and Betsy wanted to help those who lost their houses so they made an Inn. Now… if you don't have money, you're no better than a pest."

"I think it's always been that way around here," Lucas said. "Money talks, money has power, without it… well… yeah, we're no better than pests to people."

"Let's hope we don't have to live here for long. This air isn't good for our health," Flint said. "Come on, let's go find some places willing to hire us."

There were a lot of office jobs and cashiers from fast food restaurants hiring, however, Lucas and Flint weren't great with numbers and paperwork so none of them wanted to hire the two.

"Maybe we can ask if someone needs help with labor jobs," Lucas suggested. "You're big and strong, I'm sure they'd love to hire someone like you for hard labor, Dad."

"Maybe…" Flint said as they came into another building.

This building turned out to be a night club. There was a stage where people could show off and dance, and tables for people to, Lucas assumes, eat. The place was full of… colorful people, and most of them were acting weird.

"Excuse me, but you need tickets to get in," a lady said to them.

"Actually we're looking for a place to work in," Flint said. "Maybe you're hiring some workers here?"

The lady looked at them, as if studying them, "... You're both not from around here, are you?"

"My son and I just came in from the ferry," Flint said. "And we really need a job."

"I see… and where did you two come from?" she asked.

"Nowhere Islands," Flint answered.

"Interesting… you know Nowhere Islands have a lot of… unique stories behind it, right?" The lady said. "Most people may not want to give you a time of day for coming from such a place. But I'm a nice gal, I'm sure I can find something for you and your cute little boy to do here."

"Thanks, we both appreciate it," Flint said politely.

Lucas had to keep his mouth shut otherwise he feared he may say something he'd regret. The lady wasn't all that nice, but at least she was willing to give them both a much needed job.

"This place is always so filthy and we are short on janitors and busboys, which you two, not having much of an education, are perfect for," the lady said. "A big strong man like you could handle the janitor's job, while your cute little boy here can make for a nice little busboy."

The jobs weren't glamorous, but at least it was something.

"We'll take it, miss," Flint said.

Lucas only gave a silent nod of agreement.

"Perfect! You two can get started right away!" The lady said cheerfully. "Oh and be sure to wear your new uniforms before you start."

So now Flint was wearing a dark green one piece shirt while Lucas had to wear an apron over his striped shirt. Flint had to clean up after the singers and dancers on the stage while Lucas had to take care of everyone's orders, to which neither enjoyed doing.

Lucas wondered if there was some kind of rule to be extra rude to the people serving and cleaning up after them.

"Hey busboy! I ordered my food like ten minutes ago! Where is it?" Someone yelled impatiently.

"This fork is dirty, take it back because I need a new one!" Another would yell.

"Whoops, looks like I accidentally spilled my milkshake, guess you better clean it up and get me a new one," another giggled.

Lucas knew he couldn't snap at the customers or he'd be fired, but he wish he could just scream at these people to get their act together and stop insulting the one who's cleaning up after their mess and trying to keep them happy. Tazmily wasn't like that, well at least before the Pigmasks came that is.

* * *

It's been a week since then, the people haven't been easy on him since his first day on the job. He and Flint had to work there for eight hours straight, trying to keep up with the drunks' demands while cleaning up their filthy mess. Lucas wish he could just quit, but the pay was minimum wage and nobody else would hire them.

Lucas decided to just take a walk around the city since today was the weekend and he wanted to enjoy his day off without being stuffed up in that rotting apartment room he and his father had been shoved into. What he did not expect was to run into more trouble that day.

Lucas had not been paying attention where he was going and bumped into someone, "Oh, s-sorry."

The person was wearing a blue clothing with red shoes and buttons on their coat. Lucas couldn't see the person's face because it was covered up in a blue ski-like mask.

"You better be, punk! Did you think you could just run into me without consequences?" The person snapped before pausing for a minute. "... Hey, you're not from around here. Where did you come from?"

Lucas frowned, that was more of a demand than a question, but he didn't want to cause more unwanted trouble. "I came from Nowhere Island."

"Hah! That backwashed place? The one with the legend of a giant Dragon that would end the world?" The person stepped towards Lucas. "So were you raised by a dragon? Is that why you thought you could challenge me?"

"It was an accident and I said I was sorry!" Lucas said anxiously.

"That's what they all say, but they always do it on purpose to get the Black Blood Gang's attention, to challenge us and then join us. Well guess what, dragon boy, there isn't room for you here! But I'll gladly beat you up since you already went through the trouble of getting my attention."

Lucas backed up before running away from the B.B. Gang member. The member chased after him, "Take your beatings like a man you coward!"

Lucas may have PSI, but he wasn't much of a fighter to begin with. The boy was more of a pacifist even though he hated being ruled under the Pigmasks. Lucas hid behind an alleyway as the gang member ran past him.

Just as he was about to give a sigh of relief, something barked from behind, surprising him.

" _Hey, this is my turf, get your own!"_

Lucas almost jumped from the bark, and yet it sounded like to words to him at the same time. The blond haired boy turned to see a small yet good sized brown dog. The chestnut colored dog was thin, so thin that Lucas could see his ribs.

" _If you think I'm sharing the food in the dumpster with another, you'd better think again!"_ The dog growled at him.

Lucas frowned as he felt more sorry for the dog rather than fearful. Thanks to his PSI, he was able to understand animals, not that he'd admit that to anyone.

"H-hey… I'm sorry if I crossed your territory. I mean you no harm… but…" Lucas slowly pulled out a nut bread he brought with him for a snack. "Here… you look like you need this more than I do, boy."

The dog stopped growling when he saw the boy was sharing some food with him. The dog slowly approached the boy, not sure if he could trust him.

" _Is this poisoned?"_

"No, of course not," Lucas reassured. "I wouldn't have brought it with me if it was."

The dog sniffed the nut bread before he grabbed it out of Lucas's hand with his mouth and started swallowing it down in record time.

" _That was delicious! Do you have more?"_ The dog asked, wagging his tail at Lucas.

Lucas gave a small smile, "I have a little more back home… if you want some more, you can come with me."

Lucas knew they couldn't afford a dog, but he just felt so bad for it, he could see its bones. The poor dog needed some help and it seems nobody else was willing to give it.

The dog wagged his tail more, " _If it means more food, I'll follow you to the ends of the earth!"_

The dog approached Lucas, more than happy to follow someone willing to feed him. Now that the dog was closer, Lucas could see that his fur was messy and dirty. Lucas will have to give him a bath too, after convincing his father to let him help the dog.

Lucas was leading the dog back towards his apartment when multiple shadows came up behind him. The boy stopped and turned when he noticed he was being surrounded.

"Hey dragon boy, did you really think I'd let you go so easily?"

Lucas felt his blood leave his face as he found himself being surrounded by these guys wearing the same blue uniform and face mask. They all looked the same to him, but the one who spoke to him must be the same one he ran into earlier.

 _This guy can hold a grudge…_ Lucas thought to himself.

"So this is the kid you say that challenged you?" One of the other members said.

"Yeah, that's the punk alright."

"So he's from Nowhere Island? The one with the legend of the Dark Dragon sleeping under?"

"Hey, you don't belong here, get out of our town you stupid dragon boy!"

Lucas didn't know what to do. They had him surrounded so he couldn't run, and he didn't have a lot of fighting experience and he certainly didn't want to have to resort to using his PSI to attack, that would only make things worse.

The dog beside Lucas began growling at these people. " _Hey, you guys get away from him!"_

Lucas appreciated the dog's loyalty, but these guys didn't seem to be the type to just run away because a dog growled at them.

"Hah! Look at that! The kid has a dog to come to his rescue!" One of the gang members laughed. "How pathetic, he didn't even feed or bathe it."

"Well a barbaric boy from Nowhere Island wouldn't know how to take care of a dog anyways," another mocked.

Lucas felt heat prickling against his chest as he felt hot anger at these people for mocking him for where he came from.

"I came from Nowhere Island, but that doesn't mean I'm stupid or barbaric!" Lucas snapped. "If anything you people are far more barbaric than anyone on Nowhere Island! At least we treated outsiders with kindness rather than make fun of them!" _And paid dearly for it for letting the Pigmasks in._

The Black Blood Gang were silent as they stared at the boy they thought to be weak and scared of them.

"Well now, looks like we have a feisty one boys," one of them finally said as they began to crack their knuckles. "Guess we'll be enjoying this more than we thought."

The dog growled fiercely at them. Lucas picked up the stick closest to him and prepared to defend himself, hopefully without resorting to PSI.

The dog was a lot more aggressive than Lucas had thought, because it made the first move and jumped at the closest gang member, biting their arm viciously.

"ARRRGH! GET THIS MONSTER OFF ME!" The member screamed in pain.

Lucas decided to take advantage of the chaos and swing his stick at a gang member behind him. Because the guy wasn't paying attention due to the dog biting one of his members, Lucas easily knocked him down by hitting his leg. The B. B. Gang were getting angrier as they shouted.

"GET HIM!"

Lucas yelped as they lunged at him, he ducked down to avoid as much of them as possible, but one managed to grab his hair and pull him up. Lucas flailed around with his stick, but he was held out of reach.

"Let me go!" Lucas shouted, hoping a cop or someone would see what's going on here and put a stop to it.

"Grab that mutt by the neck!" Lucas heard another member yell.

And before long, Lucas heard the dog whimpering in pain, though he couldn't see with how he was held.

" _L-let me go, that hurts!"_ Lucas heard the dog yipping.

"Now that we got you, we're going to teach you a lesson. For coming into our turf, challenging one of us and even had the gall to attack us, we're going to make sure it's an extra special lesson, dragon boy."

Lucas shut his eyes and braced himself.

"What? Do you think we're going to beat you up? No, that's too kind after what you did," the member sneered. "We're taking you to the boss, he'll decide a much more fitting punishment for someone like you."

"What do you want me to do with this dog?" Lucas heard the other member holding the dog say.

"Eh, leave it on the streets somewhere or something."

"Hey, this dog almost bit my arm off! I'd say we take it to the boss too. Might make a good meal tonight, even though it could use a little more meat on those bones."

"No! Please leave that poor dog alone!" Lucas begged.

"After what that bony dog did? You both are coming with us whether you like it or not, troublemaker!" The member who had his hair in his hand squeezed his head, making Lucas cringe. "Now let's go!"

Lucas found himself being dragged by the gang member, and he could hear the dog whimpering. How did he get himself into this mess? He just wanted a nice stroll on his day off from his hectic job. And what's worse was that he was sure everyone could see this, and yet nobody did anything about it, not even the police.

 _Do the people just not care around here? Maybe we shouldn't have come to America after all…_ Lucas yelped in pain as the gang member kicked his side.

"Don't slouch!" the gang member snapped. "Or I'll have to pull your hair harder until you're bald!"

Lucas wanted to cry, but he didn't want to in front of these heartless jerks, especially since he promised himself he wouldn't cry anymore. Lucas didn't know what to do; he didn't want to be forced to meet this gang's boss, but he also couldn't do anything other than struggle or…

 _No! No, I won't… I promised myself I would never… use PSI on anyone when I got here. I can't… I won't… I don't want to be seen as a freak or a monster..._

Lucas chose to struggle instead, but it didn't do any good.

* * *

Ness rushed into the hospital in Winters. Lights flickered above, mimicking the beat of his heart. In the back of his mind, he heard Paula's footsteps next to him, but he shoved all senses to the back of his mind.

The nurse pointed Ness to the correct room. He threw the door open and stepped inside, ignoring the rattling noise the door made after Ness nearly tore it off of its frame.

Inside the room lay Jeff, hooked up to an IV monitor and wearing a breathing mask over his face. Blood stained his clothes, pooling from a spot on his chest. Ness rushed up to his side, holding his hands together and begging for Jeff's chest to rise. Another nurse put a hand on Ness' shoulder.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But your friend didn't make it."

 _No!_ Ness wanted to shout. He clenched his hands into fists without meaning to, prompting the nurse to back off. He wanted to smash the fancy machines and the computers until they became a pile of nuts and bolts. Small help they had done in keeping Jeff alive.

"What about Dr. Andonuts?" Paula asked. "Did Jeff's father live?"

The nurse shook her head.

"I am sorry," she repeated.

 _No,_ Ness thought. _Jeff was only 15… he still had a whole life to live! Why did this have to happen? Was there anything I could have done?_

"You know this isn't your fault," Paula said, kneeling down in front of Jeff's body next to Ness. "Neither of us could have done anything."

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Ness said. "He's dead. I let him die."

"He hung onto life for longer than he should," one of the nurses said. "He wanted to talk to you about something. You're Ness, right? The… hero?"

She spoke the last words hesitantly, correctly guessing that Ness hated his status as humanity's savior.

"That's me," Ness said. "But why would he want to talk to me?"

"Why _would_ he want to talk to you?" Paula asked. "I'm his friend too."

"Speaking of friends, he asked me to shoo and told something to a young man named Tony," the nurse said, looking Ness in the eye. "I think he wanted for you to hear it."

"We should talk to him," Paula said, setting a hand on Ness' arm. "He might have something that will lead us to who did this."

"So Jeff was definitely murdered?" Ness asked the nurses.

Both of them nodded.

"Our scans report that lung damage was the cause," the one that did the talking said. "It was compromised by a piercing weapon."

"You mean," Ness said through clenched teeth, "That someone stabbed Jeff's lung, which let blood in. Then he choked to death on his own blood."

The nurses exchanged a glance.

"Again," the more talkative one said. "We were surprised how long he lived. We tried to clean up the lungs and get some blood out, but…"

"You tried as hard as you could," Paula said. "And we thank you for that."

The nurses nodded, hesitant smiles coming to their faces. It was just like Paula to bring up the mood when all Ness wanted to do was mope.

"Are you ready to talk to Tony?" Paula asked, wrapping an arm around Ness' side.

"I want to stay here for a few more minutes," Ness said. "You can go talk to him."

Paula nodded and stood up.

"Come meet us when you're ready," the nurse said. "He's just in the next room. Do you want us to give you some privacy?"

"Yes please," Ness said, his voice so soft that he could hardly hear himself.

Ness heard the footsteps of Paula and the Nurses as they walked out of the room, closing the door behind them. Ness looked at Jeff and buried his face in his hands.

 _Oh Jeff,_ he thought. _Why did your life have to end this way? You had such a bright future ahead of you._

* * *

Without knocking first, Ness opened the door the room where he heard Paula's voice come from. Tony nearly jumped out of his seat, but then made eye contact with Ness and sighed in relief.

"Oh," Tony said. "It's just you."

"Sorry," Ness muttered, walking in and sitting down next to Paula.

"We've all had a rough day," Paula said. "At least you didn't miss much."

"Really? Because I was in the other room by myself for a while."

"I wanted to wait for you to come," Tony said. "Jeff's message was specifically for you, after all."

"What did he say?" Ness asked, leaning forward.

"First, he said that his attacker used PSI."

Ness and Paula exchanged a glance. That certainly narrowed the field down as to who the murderer could have been.

"You have an alibi, right?" Ness asked Paula.

"Are you accusing me?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but everyone else will."

"He said that it wasn't either of you, and that it wasn't Poo," Tony said. "He knows your fighting styles well enough to tell. Don't worry; I'll stand in front of the court and tell the whole world it wasn't you."

"Thanks, Tony," Ness said, releasing a sigh. "But besides us… who else can even use PSI?"

"The Dalaamian sages," Paula said, "But they have no reason to murder Jeff or his father. Same goes with the American special forces unit."

"If we don't find the murderer quickly," Ness said, "We'll be implicated, Tony's word or no. A fighting style isn't concrete evidence, after all."

"And even if we aren't," Paula said. "The government and general population will start to resent PSI. Most of them don't understand it, which makes them afraid."

"However," Tony said. "Jeff mentioned that even the PSI could have been faked. The attacker only used moves to buff himself or herself up, which meant that the entire scene could have been orchestrated. Jeff said that the attacker exaggerated his hand motions and made it quite obvious that PSI was in play."

"So… a feint?" Paula asked.

Tony shrugged.

"Did Jeff say what kind of self-enhancing PSI was used?" Ness asked.

Tony shook his head.

"Sounds like whoever this person is," Paula said, "He's trying to pin the blame on another PSI-user. Maybe that's why they gave him a fatal wound but didn't finish him off. He could have checked for a pulse, but he wanted Jeff to tell us this and spread seeds of distrust."

"But delaying Jeff's death would risk him staying alive, if someone found him sooner," Ness said.

"Maybe their objective wasn't to kill him."

"Then why go stab Jeff right in the chest? That tends to be fatal."

"I don't know," Paula said. "But doesn't it strike you strange that Jeff didn't suffer any other wounds?"

"It does, but…" Ness buried his face in his hands. "Nothing about this murder makes sense, Paula. I don't know what to make of it."

"Maybe you two can search the scene of the crime to get some clues later," Tony said. His voice dropping to a whisper, "I would love to have this figured out as well."

 _Oh right,_ Ness thought. _Jeff was his best friend from school._

"I'm sorry, Tony," Ness said. "If I can barely hang on, I have no idea how this must be hurting you."

Tony managed a bittersweet smile.

"I'm doing all right," he said, sniffling as tears rolled down this cheeks. "I just want to know _why_ anyone would kill Jeff. He's such a sweet person. I can't see this being the result of a personal grudge. And it's not like he's a dangerous person, either."

Not dangerous? Something clicked in Ness' mind.

"Tony," Ness said. "Did Jeff want me to know anything else?"

"Actually, yeah," Tony said. "He had a message."

"We might want to go somewhere with fewer ears," Paula said, looking at the door.

"It's already cryptic, so I don't think that's an issue," Tony said. "He just told me to tell Ness that he's sorry that he couldn't protect his research."

Ness felt the color draining from his face. Of all of his research, Jeff could only be referring to one part… and Ness knew for certain what it was.

"That _is_ vague," Paula said. "But I think that Ness here knows what he meant."

"I'll tell you later," Ness said, surprised at how much his voice shook. "Why don't we go to the crime scene?"

Paula raised an eyebrow.

"I promise. Can we just get out of here?"

Ness didn't mean for the last sentence to sound desperate, but Paula's face turned from confused to sympathetic.

"All right," she said. "Just remember that you can trust me, all right?"

"I'll tell you," Ness said, looking at nooks and crannies around the room, "Once I'm convinced that nobody else is watching."

* * *

Ness teleported himself and Paula over to Dr. Andonuts' lab. They found the lab cut off by yellow and black caution tape while cops patrolled the area. One of the officers walked up to Ness and Paula, holding a baton.

"I was told that you two would probably show up," he said. "Ness and Paula, right?"

Ness nodded.

"I'm a huge fan," the cop said. "I wish that I could let you in, but we need to leave this area uncontaminated for our forensics experts to do their magic. Don't worry, we'll catch the killer before you can even blink!"

Ness ground his teeth. How could he tell what research the killer stole without access to the lab? Paula looked at Ness, who answered her nonverbal question with a curt nod. Yes, they should just accept the police officer's orders and find their own way to investigate instead of making a scene.

"Thanks, officer," Paula said. "We'll leave you to your duty, then."

"One more thing," the cop said. "Do you both have alibis for 3:10 this afternoon? I don't want to say that _I_ suspect anything fishy, but the people will want to know."

"I was working in the daycare with my parents," Paula said.

"I was meeting with Prime Minister Pirkle," Ness said.

"Good," the officer said with a relieved smile. "I'm sure that the government will contact them right away and clear up any potential misunderstandings."

"Thanks," Ness said. "You ready to go, Paula?"

"Not like there's anything left to do here."

Ness and Paula walked into the wilderness. Ness looked at all of the snow-covered trees around, shivering from the cold. Beautiful, but uncomfortable. The pale sun shone in the sky, same as always. After Jeff's death, Ness had subconsciously expected the whole world to ripple, but the squirrels scurried up trees and the birds chirped as normal.

"We need to talk in a safe place," Ness said. "Are you okay if we had somewhere… private?"

"If it's warmer than here," she said. After a second, " _And_ it can't be Scaraba."

Ness shook his head.

"Too many eyes there. Teleport Beta!"

Ness spun around in circles enough to make himself dizzy. After far too many revolutions, Ness experienced the vague sensation of flying away and appeared in a world of ferns and massive trees. He landed on the ground running and stumbled to a halt, nearly falling into a bush.

"The Lost Underworld?" Paula said.

"Nobody will hear us here," Ness said.

He explained his conversation with Jeff a year earlier. Paula listened, and Ness could see the gears in her head working. Perhaps she would come up with a better conclusion than he could.

"So you think that someone stole Jeff's research on nuclear fusion?"

"Huh?"

"The nuclear reactions that involve slamming molecules together. It's called fusion."

"Oh yeah," Ness said. "Definitely. He promised me to stop working on it if he thought someone would use it as a bomb, so hopefully he didn't get too far…"

"It would make sense for the Americans to kill him, then," Paula said. "You know how crazy they get about their weapons, and they did drop the only nuclear weapons in history."

"If they were the ones to kill Jeff," Ness said, "What would it mean?"

"They'll justify it by saying that they're afraid of us developing a fusion bomb," Paula said. "But really, they probably want to have power over the rest of the world. We'll need to steal the information back from them."

"And then what?" Ness asked. "Do we enter another arms race? The last one put us closer to global destruction than most people realize."

"If America makes the first move, we must follow," Paula said. "We're the only force left that can withstand them."

"Right," Ness said. "With the collapse of the Bloc empire to the east, we're the two superpowers left in the world."

"That means we have to step up our game to match theirs," Paula said. "At all costs."

"But we're not even sure if they stole the research," Ness said. "It could be the pigmasks. I know that Pokey wouldn't have any qualms with killing, stealing, or making superweapons. He loves to watch people squirm." Ness sighed. "I still feel bad for him, though."

" _Porky,_ " Paula said, stressing his new name, "Would not have the tools to carry out something like this. Since when does the Nowhere Islands have PSI?"

"Since when would America be stupid enough to reveal that their assassin has PSI?" Ness retaliated.

"Maybe it makes a mistake," Paula said with a shrug. "Sometimes, the simplest answers are the right ones."

"And sometimes, there's more to a story than meets the eye," Ness said. "We should wait before acting."

"If we wait too long, the Americans might develop a fusion bomb." Paula hesitated, taking a deep breath. "But I agree. Let's go back to Eagleland and recoup."

"You're already making this sound like a war," Ness said, looking Paula in the eye.

"We can argue later," Paula said. "I think that the stress is just getting to both of us."

 _And it's no wonder,_ Ness thought. _The fate of the world could rest in what we do with this information._

"All right," Ness said. "Teleport."


	3. Chapter 2: Different Views

**DarkFoxKit: Feels like the week has gone by both fast and slow for me. Ever get that feeling, Connor?**

 **Connor: Yeah. For me, it's usually a discrepancy between how I view time in the moment and how I view time after the fact. A day that drudges on may seem short afterwards if I don't accomplish much. But yeah, we're here with another chapter, if anyone cares (and even if people don't)! :)**

 **DarkFoxKit: Yup, another chapter. So we'll just go on to the reviews and be on our merry way.**

 **Bloxxerstudios1** **:** Which of my Earthbound fanfic were you talking about? I did about two of them. But thanks, I hope we don't disappoint.

 **Connor:** I'm guessing that our reviewer means Rebuild and Reborn since it's updated on your account while Time Distorter was updated on mine. :)

 **Joltik12:** **Connor:** Ah, it's okay! We're just thankful to get reviews at all! :) We certainly won't object if you make your reviews longer, but better a short review and no review. If it's hard to come up with more stuff to say, it's fine if you keep it brief. Yep, I'm trying to start Ness' side of the story with a bang (and this chapter we get more nitty gritty with politics and mopey Ness). I get what you mean; it's pretty cool being inside a character's head when they're dealing with grief. It can be touching to see a character's sorrow in writing, so I'm glad that you liked it. :) And yep, Kumatora's going to come into this story, although her role is quite different than in Mother 3.

 **Ninten64:** **DarkFoxKit:** Yeah, those poor guys. ^^' And Ness is in a completely different country than Lucas, so Ness has no reason to link Lucas to Jeff's death.

 **Connor:** Besides, it's not like Lucas is a skilled assassin. Even though he has the PSI, the pieces wouldn't add up. Some of the other PSI-users, though…

 **Guest:** **Connor:** Well, I can take credit for Ness, Jeff, and Paula. :) Ness in this story is sometimes peppy (as you'll see), but everyone has bad days and his friend getting murdered certainly qualifies as one of them. You'll see that he's kind of a downer in this chapter, but he has reason to be and he's not going to stay that way for the entire story. :) Right, I'm intentionally avoiding the whole Ness x Paula romance thing because when played poorly it could take away from their conflicting views (and romance written by me is usually played pretty poorly xD). Thanks! :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** I'm the one writing for Lucas. The idea of Lucas to moving to America came when the idea of a war came to our minds. We couldn't have Lucas in Tazmily Village, so we moved him to America instead. I hope you will continue to enjoy the story. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Different Views**

 **America: Ellay**

Lucas wasn't sure where he was anymore. The dog was still whimpering, so he knew he was still alive and struggling. The Black Blood Gang seem to have taken him and the dog into a building… an awfully familiar building.

 _No way… they took us to the nightclub of all places!?_ Lucas hated coming here, and now he was being dragged here.

The place was empty of people, except for the B. B. Gang members. They were _everywhere_ , like they owned the place.

"Yo Teddy!" The member who had Lucas by the hair said. "I found us troublemaker from Nowhere Island. Can't believe the kid actually came here from such a backwashed place."

Lucas was shoved down onto the cold, hard floor. The very same floor he remembered a customer 'spilled' their foul smelling drinks, but at least his poor hair was finally released from the gang member's death grip.

"And we bagged ourselves a nice meal, even though it needs some fattening."

" _You planning to eat me? I'd rather sink my own teeth into all of you!"_ Lucas heard that bony dog barking angrily.

"Hmph, so you brought me this kid from a place called literally 'Nowhere', and some mangy mutt just because you lugs had nothing better to do with your time?" A gruff, deep voice said.

Lucas looked up from his position to see a very tough, muscular young man with a mohawk, yellow jeans, red t-shirt and a flat-like sunglasses style that Lucas had never seen before. Everything about this guy just screams tough gang leader and someone Lucas wouldn't want to mess with even with an adult Drago by his side.

"But Teddy, this kid caused us a lot of trouble!" The gang member said. "He ra- challenged me, then had the nerve to run away like a coward, then had his malnourished dog attacked us and even attacked us himself with a stick! This boy needs to be punished, our reputation is at stake, boss!"

Lucas felt helpless and intimidated as the big boss called Teddy looked down at him with those sunglasses.

"Oh, a troublemaker, huh?" Teddy said. "There's only one fitting punishment for someone like him. If he went through all that trouble just to get attention from us, then he will have to duel with me."

"WHAT!?" Lucas screamed before he could stop himself. "No! Really, I ran into one of your gang members by accident! I didn't want any attention from them!"

"You will speak only when spoken to, dragon boy!" The gang member slapped his cheek.

Lucas yelped as he rubbed the red handprint on his cheek. This situation was very similar to when the Pigmasks tried to take him long ago.

"There's no getting out of it now, Nowhere Island punk," Teddy said as he stood up, looking much taller than Lucas himself. "I've already challenged you, you either accept or die."

 _I'm going to die either way…_ Lucas thought miserably to himself.

The bony dog began barking, " _Hey! That's not fair! You're much bigger and stronger than this little kid!"_

Lucas appreciated the dog's attempt to reason with them, but without PSI all they could hear was a bunch of barking.

"Shut that dog up!" Teddy snapped.

Lucas's eyes widen in fear for a moment, scared that they plan to just snap the dog's neck to shut him up. Thankfully the gang member just used a rope to muzzle the dog up.

"Now… make sure you all block the exit. I want to face this troublemaking Nowhere kid without interference," Teddy said as he began cracking his knuckles.

"Yes boss!" The gang members said all too eagerly.

Lucas stood up when the member who held him down finally got off of him. The boy would like nothing more than to grab the dog and run far away from this place, heck he wanted to run out of the city altogether, but he can't. Lucas was trapped, he had nowhere to escape to and Teddy was going to kill him in this so-called dual.

"P-please, I'm not a fighter and I don't like to fight," Lucas begged as Teddy started to stalk towards him. "I-I didn't mean to run into one of your members like t-that! It was an accident, please just let me go. I promise it won't happen again! I was only defending myself when t-they attacked m-me!"

"It doesn't matter to me how you got here, the point is you got enough trouble to get here in the first place, Nowhere boy. You should've done your research before you came here. Once I've made or accepted a challenge I can't back down, or I'll be thrown out of the gang for good or they kill me," Teddy said. "Sorry, no hard feelings kid, but this is how life works. The strong survive while the weak perish."

Lucas felt hot anger prick at his chest. That's not how it was supposed to be, the strong was supposed to help the weak and injured, not pick them off like wild animals. The Pigmasks ruined their way of life, and this place was no better than what Nowhere Island had become.

"This isn't how it should be!" Lucas snapped. "It's only like this because we made it that way! We can change it! Please, we don't have to live like this!"

"Come on, boss, you're going to let this dragon boy try to manipulate you like that?"

"He can't talk to you like that, boss!"

"Rip his guts out!"

Teddy sighed before he approached the boy, "You should've stayed in your little island."

Lucas only had time to gasp before he felt a truck hit his stomach and fell back onto the hard floor. Lucas couldn't breathe for a second and panicked before he took in a gulp of air. The 'truck' grabbed his shirt before he felt pain explode on his chest as he was punched into the ground. Lucas struggled not to cry, he was not going to give these guys the satisfaction of seeing his tears. Lucas yelped when he felt a hard kick to his side, he feared his ribs might crack.

"Come on, at least _try_ to fight back," Teddy said in a bored tone. "You're just a punching bag made of flesh and bones, it's almost too pathetic to watch."

Lucas remembered how the Pigmasks would beat up and taunt the other villagers like this if they didn't do what they say. These gang members were no better than the Pigmasks, this city was no better than what Tazmily Village had become. Nobody cared what happened to him, because he wasn't important, he was just some stupid kid who grew up poor, why would it matter if he were to die? He'd just be a little smear to a society that would soon forget he existed once the smear is cleaned up. There's no hope in this world, there's no real love in this world, everyone did things because they want something. If you don't have what they want, you're on your own. Maybe… maybe Lucas should've done what those people wanted him to do… maybe he should've pulled the Needles to end this pitiful world.

Suddenly the beatings stopped. Lucas's dark thoughts disappeared as shock replaced them.

The dog had managed to escape the gang member's grasp and just tackled Teddy's arm away from Lucas.

The dog was growling, but his muzzle was still shut with the rope.

"H-hey, what are you doing?" Lucas said in shock. "They'll kill you!"

The dog didn't seem to care, he stood in front of Lucas protectively. Lucas remembered his brother doing the same when he was in danger.

"What's this? A boy and his dog wanting to die together, huh?" Teddy mocked. "How sickeningly sweet. Guess I'll be taking out the kid and his annoying dog at the same time."

"No! Please stop!" Lucas yelled as he struggled to get on his feet, but he was too injured to move.

The dog crouched down in challenge.

 _No, I can't let this happen again…! I… I have…to..._ Lucas put a hand over his arm and whispered a word. "Lifeup."

The dog ran at Teddy and jumped, but Teddy slapped him away. "Pathetic."

Lucas stood up easily, his bones were fine, his wounds were gone, it was as if he was never beaten up in the first place.

"Bony dog!" Lucas yelled in concern as he ran to the dog's side.

"Boney? Is that seriously your dog's name?" Teddy laughed before frowning. "Wait… how do you look so healthy after all the beating you took?"

"Th-that's not important right now," Lucas said nervously.

"Of course it's important!" Teddy snapped. "Because that's not natural! Your body don't just heal itself in a matter of seconds without some kind of…" the muscle man stopped as if something just occurred to him.

"Boss! Why did you stop attacking?" A gang member demanded.

"Shut up!" Teddy snapped back before looking at Lucas. "Kid… do you have PSI?"

Lucas felt his heart dropped and blood leaving his face, he hadn't meant to make his eyes widen but it was already too late. Teddy saw his horrified reaction and that was all the answer he needed.

"Show me," Teddy whispered. "Show me what you can do."

Lucas shook his head, "I-I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Boss, this kid came from Nowhere Island. Why would he have the same kind of powers as those kids you travelled with to Mt. Itoi had? I thought you said they and the kids in Eagleland were the only ones in the world who had that kind of power!" one of the gang members said.

 _There are others?_ Lucas thought to himself.

"If this kid does have those kinds of powers…" Teddy said. "Then I must see it for myself."

Lucas held onto the dog and backed away, he really didn't like where this was going.

"How can you be sure he even has it, boss?"

"Because his body shouldn't have healed so fast on its own… unless he can use PSI," Teddy said. "And I _will_ see for myself if he has it. You have a choice, Nowhere kid, you can show us your PSI or die."

"I-I don't have it!" Lucas shouted in a vain attempt to get them to stop.

Of course this only made Teddy even more determined.

"If you won't show me, then you will die like the wimp that you are," Teddy said. "Get him, boys!"

Lucas felt time slow down as the entire Black Blood Gang all charged at him at once. Lucas felt his heart beating against his chest as he held onto the bony dog in his arms. This was it… he was going to die. Lucas's blue eyes widen as he remembered seeing his mother and brother standing in front of him as the Pigmasks charged at them. His mother… was stabbed through the chest, and his brother was nowhere to be seen. They were both gone because of them… the people he truly loved… and now…

Lucas felt his chest sparkle with power. He held onto to the dog like it was his lifeline as he tried to calm down the power. The gang members reached out at him and tried to pull the dog away.

"Stop it…" flashes of Hinawa giving him a sad smile. "Stop it!" Claus's eyes were hidden beneath the shadow of his hair. "STOP IT!" And they both… were gone. "STOOOOOOOOOOOOP!"

Lucas screamed as the nightclub was covered in a bright, blue explosion. All Lucas could remember was hugging something furry and heard screams of agony before the light faded, leaving a building in ruins and only a boy and a dog inside it.

* * *

 **Eagleland: Fourside**

The day after Jeff's murder, Ness walked into Fourside's Monotoli building. He had been in this place enough not to gawk at its size or splendor, and he had enough on his mind that he didn't bother to greet the clerks on his way in. Ness would consider this day as success if he didn't punch anyone out of frustration.

Ness took a deep breath. It said a lot about his personality that Ness would have preferred to fight Giygas again than face a room full of politicians today. Ness liked his answers simple. Giygas was terrorizing the world. Okay, Ness would go out there and beat him to a pulp.

In the children's world, people made it clear whose side they were on. Oh, they would deceive and steal, but at the end of the day they were your friends, enemies, or people who just left you alone. Ness couldn't classify most of these powerful adults into any of those categories. Whenever they suggested something, he couldn't tell what agenda they served.

Ness hardly noticed his surroundings as he walked into the elevator and let out a sigh. He always dreaded coming to this building, and Jeff's death left him low on patience.

"Well, look who it is," came a familiar voice.

Ness looked up, spotting Geldegarde Monotoli acting as the elevator man. The older man let a smile shine through in his expression. While most of the adult world vexed him, Ness could understand Monotoli. Fourside's former mayor rose to power through a Mani Mani statue, one of Giygas' tools that slowly claimed his mind. After Ness broke the statue, Monotoli realized the error in his ways and became a simple elevator man.

"It's funny," Monotoli said. "I seem to cheer you up more than anyone else in this building."

"You're genuine," Ness said. "You come to me as a person, not as a vessel of popular interest."

"Now, that's an interesting way to describe it," Monotoli said. "Many people would say that they want politicians to represent the people's interests as much as possible."

Ness shook his head.

"That always seemed strange to me," Ness said. "We're all humans with our own personalities and values. Why expect politicians to be different?"

"Because they are different," Monotoli said. "Most of them start out with good intentions, but they respond to outside influences because their job depends on it. Do you really think that the Eagleish Parliament is so opposed to letting migrants from the Nowhere Islands seek refuge here?"

"I don't know," Ness said. "All I know is that I have to meet with Pirkle today. It's probably something about Jeff's murder. I'm not really in the mood for talking today, so if you wouldn't mind…"

"Of course," Monotoli said, starting the elevator.

Ness didn't remember the rest of the elevator ride and the path that he took to Pirkle's office. He supposed that he must have acted like a zombie. Still, he managed to find Pirkle's office without asking for directions, despite the top floor's confusing layout. He opened the door and stepped inside, spotting Paula and Pirkle conversing.

"Ness," Paula said with an uncertain smile. "It's, uh… nice to see you here."

Paula? Nervous? Ness felt his stomach flip. She was only ever nervous for other people's sakes, and she knew Ness well enough to understand what set him off. He braced himself for bad news.

"Is something wrong?" Ness asked.

"Nope!" Paula said. "Nothing!"

Ness sighed. Did she realize that her words only raised Ness' suspicions further? He shook his head, walking up to B. H. Pirkle's desk. Before becoming the Prime Minister of Eagleland, Pirkle had been the mayor of Ness' hometown Onett. Ness suspected that the attention that he drew to Onett from saving the world allowed Pirkle to enter the political spotlight. Either way, Ness barely tolerated the soulless politician.

"Pirkle," Ness said, slamming his hands on Pirkle's desk. "I hope you have a good reason for calling me here the day after my friend's death."

"Yes, yes," Pirkle said with a nervous chuckle. "I wish to discuss a matter that has to deal with poor Jeff's fate. You would be even angrier if I didn't tell you."

Ness spotted Paula biting her thumbnail out of the corner of his eye. He looked her straight in the eye and she smiled to cover up a nervous twitch.

"Paula," Ness said. "Seriously, what's up?"

"I'm not sure if this is a good time to tell you," Paula said. "You already look angry."

"Better to reveal it now rather than later," Pirkle said. "Miss Polestar told me everything about the Andonuts' research on nuclear fusion."

"You _what?_ " Ness shouted, glaring at Paula. "I trusted you to keep that between us!"

Paula sighed, all signs of fear disappearing from her face. Yep, there was that habit of hers. Paula feared making people upset, but she didn't hesitate to stand up for herself once she saw no other alternative. Normally, Ness admired her for it. Now, it made him want to grind his teeth.

"This is a matter of _world safety,_ Ness," Paula said. "Who are we to be keeping secrets from the entire world?"

"Oh, by the stars…" Ness buried his face in his hands.

"I'm sorry, Ness," Paula said. "I really am. But this needed to happen, and it didn't look like you were going to do it."

"Does the public know?" Ness asked, turning back to Pirkle. "They'll act even _more_ stupidly about this than you and your politicians."

"They will soon," Pirkle said. "Politicians on my side of the argument will use it as evidence."

"What argument?" Ness said.

"Pirkle wants to go to war with America," Paula said softly.

Ness started laughing, putting as much scorn as possible into his voice.

"You're an idiot," he said, grabbing Pirkle's collar. "We don't know who stole Jeff's research. You're wandering into a tunnel filled with smoke and mirrors. If you slice one of the mirrors, the shards will fly out and scratch you up."

"And if we do nothing, the smoke will suffocate us," Pirkle said. "Please understand, Ness. This is our best hope to get Dr. Andonuts' research back. It's not a perfect plan, but we have reason to suspect that the Americans wish to build weapons of mass destruction."

Ness released Pirkle from his grasp. The politician gasped for air.

"Well?" Ness said. "What is it?"

"We've deciphered reports saying that they want to get involved in the Pigmask War," Paula said. "Fighting against the pigmasks, naturally. They've said multiple times that they hold a nuclear weapon over the pigmasks' head if they had one."

"And can you blame them?" Pirkle asked. "I don't think that Porky would be half as bold with the threat of total annihilation hanging over him… literally."

Ness glared at Pirkle.

"The parliament shall vote in a week's time to determine whether or not we should go to war," Pirkle said. "Dr. Andonuts and his son were not the only victims who died under dubious circumstances. We've been finding different people dead with evidence that PSI was used. Visionary CEOs of Eagleish companies that compete with American ones. Politicians who wish to tighten up borders. The list goes on and on."

"Well," Ness said. "I can't find much sympathy for people who wish to keep millions of desperate people from the Nowhere Islands out of our spacious country."

"That's not really the point," Pirkle said. "The Americans want us to accept more refugees so that they don't have to take in as many."

"They could just ask us," Ness said. "Assassination seems quite extreme."

"They did ask us," Pirkle said. "We said no. The deaths occurred soon after."

"Too obvious," Ness said. "You're not thinking about it from their perspective, Pirkle. What would you do in their place: assassinate foreign leaders and risk a global war or just tighten your own immigration policy?"

"That's just one of many incidents," Paula said. "There's a file with all of them recorded. I can show it to you, if you want."

"I think I'll be busy enough," Ness said. "I don't need another headache."

"There are other issues with America," Pirkle said. "They're always tough on trade deals. Our people don't like that."

"So we go to _war_ with them?" Ness said. "This isn't ancient Mesopotamia, Pirkle. We're dealing with serious business. The last global conflict resulted in the death of 60 million people. You could be signing away just as many lives with your pen in a week."

"I understand the implications," Pirkle said. "And like Miss Polstar said, there are plenty of reasons that I don't have time to get into why America is causing troubles for us. This won't be a massive war, Ness. Neither side wants that. We'll just a little show of force that could get us better negotiations."

"That doesn't make it right," Ness said. "You're still sacrificing lives."

"And we could be sacrificing more by doing nothing," Pirkle said. "Besides, we may not have to do anything at all. America spouts off similar allegations against us, saying that we murder their officials and other important people. None of it's true, of course. I may be a heartless bastard who only cares about being reelected, but I wouldn't try to pull stunts that could provoke a war. War leaders don't have a great survival rate."

 _He's right,_ Ness said. _Pirkle's slimy but not that stupid. But still, if we didn't do any of those bad things to America, it's possible that they're being framed as well._

"Just think about it, Ness," Paula said. "There are an uncanny amount of shady incidents that point to them as the culprit. I think that we need to call them out."

"When did these events take place?" Ness asked.

"All in the past few years," Pirkle said. "It started right when the Bloc empire fell."

 _That… does point to America vying for world control,_ Ness thought.

Still, he wasn't convinced. A number of oddly connected events didn't constitute proof.

"I think I'll go now," Ness said. "Unless you have anything else to tell me?"

"Negative. Best of luck, Ness. I hope that you'll come around eventually."

Ness snorted and walked out of Pirkle's office. He heard Paula's footsteps following from behind.

"Ness!" Paula said.

After debating whether or not he should pretend to ignore her, Ness eventually turned around and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What now?" he asked.

"I know that you don't approve of what I did," Paula said. "But think about it this way. We have the chance to avenge Jeff's death."

"Vengeance?" Ness asked. "Is _that_ what a war would mean to you?"

"Not entirely, but…"

"But it's part of your decision to disclose information that might start a global conflict," Ness said, turning his back on Paula. "What if they did kill Jeff? How does any of this help?"

"Jeff was killed because he wanted to research something new and exciting," Paula said, her voice iron-hard. "He wanted to make the world a better place and provide cheap power that would end the reign of coal and oil. You know how horrible those coal mines are and how much the oil companies buy corrupt politicians and enact policies that destroy the environment."

"Corrupt politicians?" Ness said, wry humor seeping into his voice. "So you mean all of them?"

"Exactly," Paula said. "Jeff wanted to fix all of that, and they _killed_ him." Paula walked around to Ness' front side and grabbed a hold of his shoulders. "They're trying to squeeze out innovation and good intentions. The next genius who has the idea to cure cancer might get taken out by these bloodthirsty Americans too. I'll do anything I can to stop that from happening, Ness. Anything."

Paula turned heel and walked back into Pirkle's office. Ness sighed. As if this wasn't enough of a mess. He took the elevators back down, exited the Fourside building, and teleported back to Onett, resisting the urge to shove aside everyone in his path.

* * *

After teleporting, Ness walked up to his house in Onett to find it suspiciously quiet. All of the lights were off; it looked like nobody was home. Maybe his mom and Tracy were out on errands.

Once Ness got closer, he saw the broken window. A burglar must have broken in. With everything that had happened to him, Ness could hardly care that the family's television probably got stolen. He leapt through the shattered window into his house, looking around for signs of theft.

Strangely enough, everything was in its proper place.

Maybe someone was playing baseball and hit a stray shot into Ness' window? But no, the shattering was too clean, likely the result of a professional tool. Ness' heart pounded in his chest. He took slow steps forward and opened the door to the second floor.

On the staircase stood a boy wearing a helmet who had Ness' unconscious mother and sister slung over each of his shoulders. He turned back to face Ness, and even with the boy's upper face obscured, Ness could make out the chilling emptiness in his expression.

Ness' heart lurched as the mystery boy tossed Ness' mom and Tracy behind him, their bodies landing with soft _thuds_. After freeing his arms, the boy summoned a plasma sword that burned a line through the wall. He pointed the plasma sword at Ness, a smirk coming to his face.

"Now this should be interesting," the boy said. "Don't hold back, all right?"

 _And I assumed that this day couldn't get any worse,_ Ness thought.


	4. Chapter 3: A Possible War

**Connor:** Hey, everyone! How's it going? I actually have an announcement to make that's not directly related to this story… I just published the first chapter of another story I'm working on called Ceres: Agents of Chaos. It's the final installment of a trilogy that I've been working on for over a year, so I'm putting a lot of time and effort into it. Check it out if that's your kind of thing. :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** Ooh, you're finally getting into the last arc of Ceres? How exciting! And as for this story, it doesn't have a lot of attention, but I'm still happy that we're able to post it. These chapters shows how two very different people deal with life, and it's not always a 'happy ending' even for the hero.

 **Connor:** But that doesn't mean that everything's terrible for the characters, either. Ness can get a bit mopey at times, but he's able to pick it up when he needs to. Life is always a mixture of good and bad, and we're trying to show both sides. :) Well then, should we respond to the reviews?

 **DarkFoxKit:** That we shall, Connor.

 **Ninten64:** The Masked Man is different enough from Lucas for Ness to distinguish the two, so don't worry about that. Well… there isn't a LOT of PSI fights, but we hope that it kept you entertained.

 **Connor:** Yeah, Ness isn't going to go super crazy with a PSI fight in his hometown with his family in the line of fire. He'll fight a bit more like Sonic does in smash bros (although maybe not _that_ lame :P).

 **DarkFoxKit:** You're comparing Ness to Sonic in Smash Bros? XD

 **Connor:** I mean, that's basically what he does in the chapter (other than charging spindash… just picturing Ness trying to spin into a ball like Sonic and can't keep a straight face).

 **AShineyBlueMew:** **Connor:** Fortunately, the Masked Man did not steal the phone. ;) Thanks; and we'll be sure to include plenty of surprises in this alternate universe. Although this is probably the closest to canon story I've ever written.

 **DarkFoxKit:** Which surprises me since you were the one who suggested it to be set around the more canon universe.

 **Joltik12:** **DarkFoxKit:** Lucas is fine, he just killed all the gang members at once with his loose cannon power called PK Love. c: Don't discharge me for that!

 **Connor:** Yeah, if you're the most comfortable with short reviews then feel free to stick with those. :)

* * *

 **Chapter 3: A Possible War**

 **Eagleland: Onett**

Ness leapt back, the boy's plasma sword slicing through the air that Ness' chest had occupied a moment ago.

"Who are you?" Ness asked, holding his arms up in a marital combat stance. "And why are you here?"

A smirk shone through on the boy's expression, one so slight that Ness didn't know if he was imagining it.

"Call me the Masked Man," the boy said in a monotone. "As for why I am here…" he took another swing at Ness. "Take a wild guess."

"American special forces unit?" Ness asked, stepping back. "No, that's too obvious. Who are you working for?"

The Masked Man lunged forward, slicing through part of the doorframe as he emerged into the kitchen. Ness scolded himself; he would have fought better in a tight place like the staircase. At least that way, it would be awkward for the Masked Man to maneuver his plasma sword.

"Where did you get that sword?" Ness asked. "It's clear that you are no mere rogue."

The Masked Man rushed in with another slice. Ness darted away and circled around the Masked Man, running back towards the staircase. He sprinted up and grabbed his mother and sister.

"I did not plan to hurt them," the Masked Man said. "You can come down here and fight."

 _But that's what he wants me to do,_ Ness thought. _What other tricks does this guy have up his sleeve? I don't want to risk it, especially without a weapon._

Ness ran into Tracy's room, thankful that the door was already open. He took a running start and jumped out of the window with his body facing sideways, his mother and sister in each arm. Shards of glass created lines of pain as they cut Ness' face, and he could only assume the same for his family.

For a moment, Ness flew through the sky. The wind rippled past his face, irritating his cuts. The freedom of the fall still felt better than anything else Ness had experienced that day. He looked up and smiled as a couple stars twinkled in the evening sky.

In truth, he enjoyed this whole experience more than he would admit to anyone else. The rules were simple: live and protect his family or fail and be responsible for their deaths. He knew exactly what to do, and there was no question as to which side the Masked Man was on. He would rather deal with an adversary than let someone talk circles around him while he tried to figure out their game.

Ness slammed into the ground on his back, using his body to absorb some of the shock that Tracy and his mother likely suffered from landing. Jumping from the second story of a building was risky, but he could use his PSI to erase the consequences of such a daring course of action. Better that Tracy or his mom suffer a concussion that could be healed in an instant than stick around the Masked Man for longer. The boy with the plasma sword told Ness that he had no intention of harming Ness' family, but Ness didn't trust anyone who broke into his house and tried to kill him.

"All right," Ness said, hopping to his feet. "Lifeup Omega."

The pain from his cuts vanished. Hopefully, that would take care of any fall damage that his family members may have suffered. Ness saw the glow of plasma out of the corner of his eye. The Masked Man was probably right behind him.

"Teleport alpha!" Ness shouted, running straight forward.

He picked up speed, but in the evening light made it more difficult to see roadblocks. Ness nearly slammed into a tree before changing his direction and zooming past it. He breathed a sigh when he finally took off.

* * *

Ness landed in Twoson, still carrying Tracy's and his mother's unconscious bodies. He hoisted them over his shoulders and walked over to the Polestar preschool, drawing more than a couple suspicious glances. Ness walked like he _belonged_ in Twoson with two bodies slung over his shoulders, which was enough to make everyone shrug and walk past.

Ness knew this tendency of people to back down in the face of confidence. They assumed that someone _clearly_ wouldn't do something so suspicious in a populated town if they didn't have a good reason to. In this case, they were right.

Ness knocked on the door to the Polestar Preschool, which is also where Paula lived. He was surprised when Paula herself opened the door, but her gasp drowned out any reaction he showed.

"What _happened_ to you?" she said. "You're all bloody, too!"

"It's fine," Ness said. "Just shattered glass. Listen, is it okay if my mom and sister stay here with you? I can bring them back from unconsciousness with my PSI, but a would-be murderer is still lurking around my house."

"Of course," Paula said. "I'm surprised that you didn't manage to capture or kill the attacker, though."

Paula called for her parents to come and gestured for Ness to come inside. Ness hesitated due to the blood all over his clothes, but he _did_ need to hide Tracy and his mother as soon as possible. He stepped inside, hearing the _thumps_ of Paula's dad descending the staircase.

"I didn't even manage to fight the attacker off," Ness said. "I didn't want to mess with his plasma sword, and there wasn't really much to gain."

"Plasma sword?" Paula said with a frown. "Oh, dad! Here, Ness ran into some trouble and he needs you to take care of his family for a while."

Paula's dad appeared on the first floor. To his credit, he looked at Ness' bloody outfit and unconscious family members without flinching.

"All right," Paula's dad said. "If you can just bring them up here…"

"Ness," Paula said. "We should go back there together and fight off the person who attacked you. He or she might be dangerous to all of Onett." She dashed out the door. "I don't think your family will mind if you just leave them on our floor. We need to catch this person before they escape!"

Ness nodded; he knew that Tracy and his mom would want him to prioritize the safety of Onett over their immediate comfort. He set them down and ran out the door after Paula.

"Thanks for taking care of them, dad!" Paula shouted, closing the door after Ness left. "Let's go. I assume you still have enough energy to teleport?"

Ness nodded and used the move in its beta form, which involved Ness and Paula spinning around rather than running in a line. They flew off and landed back in Onett.

Ness screeched to a halt right in front of his house, Paula stopping right behind him. He looked for signs of the Masked Man and found none.

"Hmm," Paula said, closing her eyes. "Yep, that's definitely PSI residue."

"What?" Ness said.

"I've trained myself to detect when PSI moves are being used. A particularly powerful one was used somewhere in this vicinity. Did you use PK Rockin against the attacker?"

"No. I just used Lifeup and Teleport."

"Neither of those should really trigger this response…" Paula looked around. "So our little friend can use PSI. What does he or she look like?"

"I think it's a he," Ness said. "Looks young, like about our age. He wears a mask can uses a plasma sword."

"A plasma sword?" Paula's eyes widened.

"I know. It's like we're living in the 22nd century already."

"No, not like that. You're sure that it was a plasma sword?"

"It was pretty hard to miss," Ness said. "It glowed and burned whatever it touched."

"Well then."

Ness thought that he saw Paula's face go pale, although he couldn't quite tell in the evening light.

"What does it mean, Paula?"

"For now, it means that we search the town to see if he disturbed anyone else."

* * *

"Okay," Ness said, "We've checked everywhere, and now it's so dark that we wouldn't be able to see him even if he were ten feet in front of us."

Ness exaggerated the last part, but it would indeed prove difficult to continue in the lack of light.

"Yeah, it looks like our assassin fled after botching his attempt against you," Paula said. "You told me that the plasma sword burned everything that it touched. Can you show me where that happened in your house?"

Ness lead Paula back to his house, careful to avoid the shattered glass. He turned the lights on and found that they still worked. The cracked windows let the night breeze in, chilling Ness to the bone. He shivered and rubbed his arms to generate heat.

"Ah, I can see it," Paula said. "Oh, that poor doorframe." She walked up and examined it. "Yep, that looks like a plasma sword's work, all right."

"Are you familiar with those weapons? This was the first time I had seen one."

"They're staple weapons in the PSI-user section of the American special forces unit," Paula said, looking Ness straight in the eye.

"I don't think that the Americans did this," Ness said. "Why would they want me dead?"

"Because you're a threat," Paula said. "You saved the world from Giygas. You have Eagleland wrapped around your pinky finger. Girls all throughout Eagleland are probably swooning at the sight of your picture _._ They're probably _praying_ for a chance to meet you. Some of them probably even want to-"

"Paula, please," Ness said, feeling his cheeks redden. "I'm sure it's not like that."

"All right, maybe not. But you're still influential. It's not hard to see why you'd be a target." She paused. "Didn't Pirkle say before that your family should go into hiding?"

Ness gritted his teeth.

"He did," Ness said. "I refused him."

"You might want to rethink that," Paula said. "Even if this wasn't the Americans' work, it serves as a message. Power attracts power, and you have so much power that I'm amazed how it hasn't swelled your ego to the size of a mountain."

"Yeah," Ness said. "I should talk with mom and Tracy about that. How about we head back to your house?" Ness shivered. "It's not going to get any warmer in here."

"First," Paula said, looking down at her feet. "There's something else I need to tell you."

Ness new from looking at her strained face that whatever she was about to tell him couldn't be good.

"The word of the fusion weapons that Jeff was building got out. His murder prompted… militant behavior over in America."

"What do you mean?" Ness asked.

"Eagleish sympathizers bombed a nightclub not a day ago. At least, that's what people are saying. No suspects were found alive."

"But we didn't want them to do that," Ness said, looking into Paula's eyes. "Right?"

"Yeah, Pirkle wouldn't order something so stupid. But that might be the fuse to set this entire war off."

"What do you mean?"

"I travelled to America a few weeks back with Poo. The Americans despise us, Ness. They blame us for bad trade deals, militant attacks like the one that just happened, and all of those assassinations that Pirkle told you about back in his office."

A chill ran down Ness' spine, and not from the cold breeze that passed over him.

"But they wouldn't do anything drastic about it before talking to us, right?" Ness said.

"They already did," Paula said. "Things got a little out of hand between Eagleish diplomats and American politicians. They're both flinging threats at each other, and there's no sign that they're going to stop. Both sides are utterly convinced that the other is at fault."

"So you're saying…"

"I'm saying that Ninten, a PSI-user who defeated Giygas before you did and is just as influential in politics, called Pirkle after you left." Paula's face hardened as she stared Ness in the eye. "He has the inside scoop on all of the American government's workings, you know."

Ness gulped.

"What did he say?"

"I think you already know," Paula said. "He told Pirkle to prepare for war."

* * *

 **America: Ellay**

Lucas knew he just screwed up big time. He hadn't meant to do it, but there was no stopping it when it starts. The only other survivor from his explosion earlier was whimpering in his arms.

" _You're squeezing me a bit too tightly…"_

That snapped Lucas out of his horror enough to loosen his grip on the dog, but he didn't let him go. Lucas felt he needed assurance that he hadn't killed everyone with his PSI.

"S-sorry… I…"

" _So what was that? Did you rig some kind of explosion or something? That was awesome!"_ The bony dog said, sounding more excited than scared.

Lucas shook his head, "No… it's…"

The boy could hear police sirens approaching the now burned down building he was still in. Lucas took a sharp intake of breath, knowing what will happen if he's caught here. The BB Gang was no more, not a trace of them were left, not even their boss Teddy.

"L-let's just… get out of here…" Lucas said softly to the dog before he hurried to the back exit, thankful it was still in tact.

Lucas ran to get as far away from the building as possible before the police showed up and started investigating, the last thing he needed was to be arrested on the spot and interrogated on what happened.

" _So where are we going?"_ The bony dog asked.

Lucas looked around the city. People were curiously gathering towards the nightclub he destroyed. He wasn't sure if he even should go back to the apartment right now, but he did wish his dad was here.

"Let's just… lay low right now…" Lucas said. "I don't want people noticing I'm trying to go away from the place that just blew up."

" _Well if you're trying to find a place to hide, there's a nice dump behind the burger place. They always have lots of leftovers there,"_ The dog said with a dreamy expression.

 _I have got to get this dog some real food._ Lucas thought to himself.

Lucas wasn't really sure where the burger place was, so he put the dog down to let him lead him. The dog ran ahead and barked to Lucas to follow. Lucas ran behind the bony dog until they came up to a good size building with a burger on its sign. Lucas gave a small chuckle when he saw how obvious it was.

" _The dump is over here!"_ The dog barked.

Lucas followed the dog. _I really should give him a name. Maybe I'll just call him Boney for now, because of how bony he looks._

"Hey Boney, wait up!" Lucas called.

The dog, Lucas dubbed as Boney, stopped for a minute. " _Boney?"_

"Well yeah, I don't know what else to call you… I hope that's okay," Lucas said.

The dog tilted his head before he nodded, " _I like it. It's good to have an identity different from other dogs. Thank you… uh… kid?"_

Lucas blinked before he realized he never gave Boney his own name. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, he said, "My name is Lucas. Sorry I hadn't told you until now."

The two of them heard a loud thumping noise. Lucas jumped and Boney growled at the sound, before they slowly approached the dump. The noise sounded like it came from in there.

" _Who's there!? You better not have eaten everything!"_ Boney barked angrily.

Lucas really didn't want to accidentally activate his deadly PSI again. The fact that he just killed those people… Lucas shook his head. He really didn't want to think about it now and let the guilt implode his poor head; he's got enough to deal with at the moment.

The sound from the dumpster gave more noises, whoever or whatever was in there was moving around, making Lucas gulp. Whatever was in there sounded way bigger than a raccoon.

A head popped up from the dumpster, making Lucas yelp in shock.

"What's with the barking?" It turns out, the head was human, a man to be precised.

Lucas got a good look at the man; he was thin like Boney, and he wore some old, ragged looking clothes. He had brown hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed in a long time and a couple of brown whiskers under his nose.

"Uh… hi?" Lucas greeted awkwardly.

The man looked at Lucas as if trying to piece together a really difficult puzzle, "... Are you talking to me?"

"Yeah, there's nobody else here," Lucas said, still feeling awkward.

"Oh… sorry, I'm used to being ignored," The man said before climbing out of the dumpster and landed in front of Lucas and the still growling dog.

Lucas noticed one of the man's leg was limping.

"Are you lost, kid?" The man asked. He didn't sound like he was annoyed or condescending Lucas, he sounded genuinely concern, which is the opposite Lucas was used to since the Pigmasks came to Nowhere Islands and he came to America.

 _I suppose when you have nothing left, you tend to not care about hiding your true feelings._ Lucas thought to himself. He didn't think the man had any reason to deceive him, and it's not like he had anything worthwhile on him for the man to steal if that was his goal.

"No… I just… didn't know where else to go," Lucas said. "I… I did something really bad… and I just… ran in here to hide."

"Hmm… I see. That's usually the story around here with homeless people," the man said.

"I-I'm not homeless… I just… can't go home right now. I don't know if I can face my dad after what happened…" Lucas said softly. "But I wish he was here with me at the same time…"

"Heh, sounds like me," The man chuckled.

Lucas looked up at him before the man dug into his pocket.

"Here, you two look like you need something to eat," The man said as he took out a couple of beef jerkies from his pocket.

Boney immediately perked up as he wagged his tail.

" _Oh yeah! This is a good man!"_

Lucas would've rolled his eyes at how easily impressed Boney is with food, but then again he probably couldn't blame him since the dog's been starving. Anyone who acts in kindness could be genuine or they want something. Again, Lucas couldn't find any reason this man would want anything from a supposedly lost child, so he took the beef jerky.

"Thanks," Lucas said gratefully before biting down on the beef jerky.

The man tossed the other beef jerk at the dog, letting Boney chow down on it like a ravenous wolf.

"Now I know I look like a homeless bum, but I'm actually not," the man said. "I should introduce myself… My name is Duster, and I'm a thief in training. My father was a master thief in his prime, and he's hoping I'd follow in his footsteps to help the poor and sick people out."

"But isn't a thief a bad kind of guy?" Lucas asked. "Not that you're bad."

Duster chuckled before he said, "It's okay. Most kids who were raised by parents are often lead to believe people who steal are automatically bad people. For everything that is black and white, there is always a gray area. It sounds bad out of context, but you see, my father and I are thieves only to those who have a lot, or the rich if you prefer. We steal from the rich and give to the poor, that kind of thing. It's like the Robin Hood legend if you've ever heard of it."

"I get it." Lucas nodded. "That's very noble of you, but why are you here trying to get food from the dump if that's the case?"

"I have plenty of food," Duster said. "It's just… you see, my father wanted me to steal something important from someone in Ellay, but he didn't tell me from whom or what. So I'm trying to check every nook and cranny, even if it's a dump."

"But how would you know you'd find what you're looking for if he didn't tell you?" Lucas asked.

"He said it was shiny and important looking," Duster sighed. "But while I was looking around earlier, I did see some kind of explosion. Maybe I should go look over there?"

Lucas felt his blood run cold as he was reminded what happened not too long ago, "You don't need to… I was just there… nothing important is there."

Duster raised an eyebrow at Lucas's sudden coldness. "... Were you involved with that explosion?"

Boney looked up at Lucas after he finished gobbling down the beef jerky, " _Maybe you can tell him about your explosive powers?"_

Lucas wanted to tell Boney that wasn't a good idea since he really didn't want people knowing about his PSI, but he couldn't do that with Duster here.

"It's not important right now," Lucas said. "Oh um… My name is Lucas, and I just came to America from Nowhere Isl-" The boy stopped himself when he remembered how everyone he's met since he came to America had mocked and teased him and his dad for coming from Nowhere Islands.

Duster seem to piece together what he was about to say and said, "Nowhere Islands?"

Lucas looked at him, frowning. The boy braced himself for whatever mockery would come out of the thief in training's mouth.

Duster gave a sigh, probably noticing Lucas's defensive expression, "It's okay, I'm not going to make fun of you for where you came from. I used to live on Nowhere Islands too actually."

"Y-you did?"

"Yeah, my father and I used to live in Osohe Castle before it was torn down by the Pigmasks. We managed to stow away on a ship that was heading to America not too long after," Duster said. "We knew what those Pigmasks were going to do once they got settled in, so we bamboozled before it came to that."

Lucas nodded, he and his father left Nowhere Islands for the very same reason.

"It's pretty bad there… but I'm not sure if this place is any better," Lucas sighed.

"It's not all bad," Duster said. "This is just one city in the entire country. Ellay's a pretty rough place to be in."

"Guess it's just our luck to pick this place to settle in when we got here," Lucas said bitterly.

"Heh, yeah, this is not the nicest place in America," Duster said. "But the rest of the place isn't so bad. I think the quiet town of Podunk might be more your style, it's not as rural as Tazmily Village is… or was, but it's a very small town with nice people."

"Podunk, huh? Maybe I could ask Dad if we could travel there," Lucas said. "We… uh… don't have a job anymore." _Considering our job was the very building I blew up._

"Well if you're going to Podunk, you might want to take the train to Merryville first. Going there on foot would not be recommended," Duster said. "Especially with all those wild animals out there."

"I don't know if we have enough money to take a train there." Lucas frowned.

Boney perked up as he turned around and started barking, " _Someone's coming this way!"_

Lucas turned around just in time to see a familiar face approaching them.

"Lucas! There you are!"

"Dad?"

Flint panted as he ran over to his son, "Lucas, where have you been? Haven't you heard the news?"

Lucas shyly twiddled his fingers as he had a pretty good idea what the news was about.

"The nightclub was bombed, and they're saying the Eaglelish sympathizers did this!" Flint said. "Everyone's going in a frenzy about it now!"

"Wait, what?" Lucas felt his heart almost stopped at this news.

 _They're blaming people from another country for what_ I _did? Oh no… what have I done?_ Lucas looked down at himself, horrified what he might've just started.


	5. Chapter 4: A New Recruit and Mecha Drago

**DarkFoxKit: Ahhh, I just love the smell of a new chapter in the evening, don't you?**

 **Connor: Metaphorically speaking, I guess. Hopefully, you guys will like this chapter. Things are going to start heating up soon… :)**

 **DarkFoxKit: Of course, did you think I meant it literally? And yes, yes they are. Hmm… I don't have much else to say other than that. Do you have anything else to say?**

 **Connor: Well, thank you to the reviewers for paying attention to this story! ...Other than that, not really. My brothers just started school today, so it's been a little quiet around the house. I'm excited to get to this chapter.**

 **DarkFoxKit: Okay, speaking of the reviewers, we should answer back to them before we start the chapter.**

* * *

 **Darude Dogestorm:** **Connor:** I can't tell if your name is the most amazing thing I've ever seen or the most cringeworthy thing I've ever seen. I guess it can be both. :) Well, thanks! Hopefully you'll like this chapter just as much.

 **KookyMango** **: DarkFoxKit:** Yeah, even though this war was going to start no matter what, it sucks that Lucas was the one who pulled the trigger, even though it wasn't intentionally. Yeah, what's a Mother story without Ninten and Duster? XP As for Claus… we won't say since that's spoiler territory. And Teddy… uh… he's just dust here now, so maybe not? ^^'

 **Connor:** Awkward…

 **Ninten64:** **Connor:** Well, I'll say now that Ness and Lucas won't meet in Podunk, but they'll definitely meet elsewhere. :) Thanks!

 **DarkFoxKit:** And it might be a little hard for them to interact due to Connor and I writing in separate docs and point of views.

 **PKtofuMaster:** **DarkFoxKit:** *snickers* Wow, he can tell it's your writing style right off the bat, Connor. And actually, it was I who killed off Teddy and his gang, so nothing's really stopping Connor from killing off more characters. XD And you're right in saying we're writing this mostly for fun, but I guess we would appreciate some constructive criticism. Also, I'm glad you like Boney so much, I've mostly kept his character from To Rebuild or to be Reborn's story. It seems to work well, especially in this story.

 **Connor:** Yep, a lot of the whole arms race thing is based off of what happened between Russia and America. This is an alternate timeline where most things stayed the same, so the Soviet Union has fallen by 199X + 2 years. Just… no actual arms races until now and nuclear weapons were banned (because everyone's trustworthy enough just to get rid of their nukes from WWII). And like Fox said, constructive criticism is fine by me, especially if it's on my writing style (the overall story arcs are harder to coordinate so I might be less responsive to criticism about those).

 **Shinobi of the Hidden Leaf:** **Connor:** Hey, it's good to see that you're doing well! :) And thanks! More Boney praise… guess you nailed his character, Fox. :P I hope that you like this chapter just as much as the others!

 **DarkFoxKit:** Heh, well who would've thought making Boney sassy yet loyal works out so well for him? Anyways, let's get on with the chapter!

* * *

 **Chapter 4: New Recruit and Mecha Drago**

 **Eagleland: Fourside**

"Well, well," B. H. Pirkle said as Ness entered his office in the Monotoli Building. "This might be the first time _you_ actually need something from _me._ "

"Right, and I'll bet that you'll never let this day slide," Ness said. "Listen. I need you to hide my family away and keep them safe."

"I believe I suggested as much before," Pirkle said, "And you nearly tore down this whole building."

Ness closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"Look, I'm sorry," Ness said. "But things changed last time. A boy wearing a helmet broke into my house with a plasma sword and tried to kill me. Tracy and mom won't be safe in an active war."

"You just _apologized_ to me" Pirkle said with a chuckle. "I never thought I'd see the day…"

"Yes, yes," Ness said. "Please get on with it."

"Oh, and even a _please._ " Pirkle laughed. "You treat me as an actual human being because I have power over you, Ness. You think that I'm a villain who sees regular people as something less than human, but are you truly any different? You take your rage out on me like a slaver until you need me for something."

Ness resisted the urge to lash out at Pirkle. As much as he wanted to deny the prime minister's words, they rang true to his ears. Ness' heart sunk into his stomach.

"Well, I'm sorry for that as well," Ness said. "You just don't make it easy to like you. Not that I'm trying to use that as an excuse, it's just that…"

"I know," Pirkle said. "I expected you to hate me about as much as you do, honestly. I don't hold it against you." He leaned in until Ness could smell his musty breath. "But while we have different agendas, we can learn to work together. I want to please the people so they reelect me. You want to help the people because it's the right thing to do. In the end, we're usually working towards the same goal."

Ness nodded numbly.

"So, about my family…"

"On an ethical level, why should I give the hero special treatment?" Pirkle asked. " _Every_ family will be in danger once the war starts in full force. Why should I hide your family out of them all?"

"Because they could be taken and used against me," Ness said. "I don't think you want that happening."

"Do you hear yourself?" Pirkle asked. "I used that _exact_ same argument in an attempt to convince you of the _exact_ same course of action just a few months ago. How did you respond? You nearly blew up my office!"

"I…" Ness trailed off. "I guess I did."

"You're using the cold, logical benefits of hiding your family as an excuse to treat them differently from everyone else. Doesn't that sound like something that an elitist politician like _me_ would do?"

Ness gritted his teeth. Pirkle was right and they both knew it. Ness had been a fool to write him off as someone simple and easily controlled during his quest to defeat Giygas. He had been wrong to see Pirkle as a pawn or a roadblock. Pirkle was the archetypal trickster; he used his cunning to dispatch more powerful foes. That cunning involved staying under Ness' thumb until he had the chance to rise up.

"So what will it be?" Pirkle said. "If you hide your family simply because it's the _practical_ thing to do, you are no different from a cold-hearted politician like me. You would become a hypocrite. Do you still wish for me to keep them safe?"

Ness paced back and forth, feeling like his head was about to explode. It was true that Ness had scolded Pirkle earlier for paying attention to the whims of influential people, such as speaking with the popstar Venus about her anti-immigration views. Pirkle shouldn't prioritize her opinion over anyone else's just because she was famous; the government should treat everyone the same.

By the same notion, Ness shouldn't prioritize the lives of his own family over others just because they were more valuable to the enemy. It just wouldn't be fair to the other families if they took someone else's bullet just because they weren't related to the hero Ness.

But how could Ness go back to his family and explain to them that Pirkle wouldn't help because of some abstract principle? Could he bear to look at the expression on Tracy's face as she realized that she would have to live in fear of an American bomber ending her life with the press of a button?

"...I'm not sure," Ness said. "Maybe I'll talk to my family about it."

"Take as much time as you need," Pirkle said. "When I'm not busy with meetings, I'll be here." He started to organize papers on his desk. "Is it safe to assume that you will fight in the war against the Americans?"

Ness nodded. He was almost relieved when he heard that the Americans were the ones to declare war. This way, he would be fighting to protect his homeland rather than to invade a foreign one.

"In that case, I'd like to introduce you to a couple men," Pirkle said. "I'm forming a special unit with you, Paula, and a couple others. She already agreed to this, by the way. Since you PSI-users pack the punch of a small army, you can infiltrate enemy lines and gather information."

"Or," Ness said. "We could be ordered to attack a camp of sleeping soldiers."

"People have done it before," Pirkle said. "But we both know that you'll disobey orders if you want to." Pirkle picked up a phone from his desk and dialed a number. Addressing the person on the other end, Pirkle continued, "Yeah, send them in. Ness is ready to meet our new operatives."

After a few minutes of waiting, a pair of men entered Pirkle's office. Well, calling both of them "men" would be generous. While one looked like the type to run a criminal syndicate with his red suit and slick hair, the other was a boy who looked little older than Ness.

"Frank," Ness said to the older man. "It's been a while."

"Long in your books, maybe." Frank smiled, showing only the right half of his teeth. "It's been what, a year?"

"Two years," Ness said.

"Feels like just yesterday when you came by and wrecked my makeshift tank. I had never met someone before with such strength who still cared about doing the right thing. With enough power, people tend to see others as pawns."

Pirkle shot a smug glance at Ness. Both of them knew that Ness was closer to Frank's description than the outside world thought.

"So these people will work with Paula and me on a miniature squad?" Ness asked Pirkle.

"That's the general idea, yes."

"Are you sure?" Ness asked, looking at the younger boy. "This soldier barely looks old enough to fight."

"How did I know that you would say that?" the boy asked, rolling his eyes. He spoke with a Nowhere Islands accent. "Despite your youth, you worry about mine. I'll be fine."

"It's different for a PSI-user," Ness said. "I have my powers to rely on."

"Jeff wasn't a PSI-user," the boy said.

"And look where he is now."

The boy fumbled for a response. Ness sighed, picking up on the anger and determination in the boy's eyes.

"It's fine," Ness said. "I've been there before. You're welcome with us. Just don't feel like you have to prove yourself, all right? It made me do stupid things when I set out on my journey. Nobody's going to judge you if you mess up a couple times."

"Thanks for your concern," the boy said. "But I'm the best shot around. I fought in the resistance against the pigmasks for years, so you can rely on me just like any seasoned soldier. The name's Fuel, by the way. I know that you're Ness."

"Nice to meet you," Ness said, walking up and shaking Fuel's hand. "I hope that this doesn't offend, but how old _are_ you?"

"17," Fuel said. "Two years older than you, I might add."

"Right," Ness said, clapping Fuel on the shoulder and grinning. "I hope you'll forgive me if I don't respect my elders as much as you would like."

Fuel laughed. Situations such as this, Ness could deal with. He could work with people, so long as he knew what they wanted and they knew what he wanted.

"Now," Ness said. "I have to teleport to Twoson and grab Paula before we do anything. Are you two ready?"

"Just before you go," Pirkle said. "I have a mission for you. It's a reconnaissance mission in Merrysville, where we believe that the Americans are training their PSI-users. Paula will have all of the details for you."

"Right, because she was always the responsible one, eh?" Frank asked, winking at Ness.

"You never even met her, so how would _you_ know?"

"Rumors." Frank tapped his ear. "Information is the key to victory. I know more random knowledge than you might expect, including the workings of the American military."

"Indeed," Pirkle said. "Frank Fly's knowledge led us to this mission in the first place."

"I guess it's lucky that I've been to Merrysville before so I can teleport right there," Ness said.

"Yes, that goodwill tour of America I had you attend a year ago served more purpose than one," Pirkle said with a wink.

"You sly, little…" Ness laughed. "Once again, I underestimated you. Well then, let's head to Twoson and get the details from Paula."

* * *

Ness, Frank, and Fuel decided to split up and eat lunch before converging to teleport over and join Paula. Ness almost vetoed the request, but both Frank and Fuel attested to their own hunger and Ness figured that there was no harm in delaying for an hour or so.

Frank strolled off and found people to chat with before he even left Ness' field of vision, but Fuel didn't look like he had anyone else to eat with. He looked at every passerby suspiciously.

"Uh…" Ness said. "I'm not sure if this is an appropriate thing to ask, but…"

"Just spit it out," Fuel said.

"Do you want to eat lunch together? I don't know this city that well."

Fuel smiled. Ness was glad that he focused on his own lack of knowledge rather than Fuel's lack of friends; he expected Fuel to be a little touchy about the subject.

"Sure," Fuel said. "I know a great place."

The two walked over to a burger joint nearby. Ness soon found himself sitting outside on a nice day in the city munching on a surprisingly tasty burger. The meat tasted fresh; the cheese and pickles gave the whole burger just enough flavor to compliment the meat and bread.

"Wow," Ness said. "This really _is_ good. And it's cheap, too. I should probably pick up the tab, even though Pirkle should be paying you extra for this special unit thingy."

"I never expected the hero who saved us from Giygas to be so… casual," Fuel said. "Special unit thingy?"

"Well, it's not like our squad has an official name," Ness said. "Maybe I can ask Paula for suggestions. When she was younger, she kept a whole closet full of teddy bears and knew each one by name."

"I'd like to see that," Fuel said, cracking a smirk. "But responding to your earlier comment, Pirkle isn't actually paying me extra for this."

"What?" Ness said. "But this will be more even dangerous than a regular soldier's job. Why did you accept on such a scrawny pay?"

"I couldn't afford to turn him down," Fuel said, his voice turning soft. "As you probably guessed, I'm a refugee from the Nowhere Islands."

"Oh," Ness said, keeping a straight face. "When you said that you fought in the resistance against the pigmasks, I thought that you were resisting them from over here. It never occurred to me that you came from the area that they operate in."

Fuel swallowed, regarding Ness for a second before laughing.

"I thought you were serious there!" Fuel said. After a moment, his face darkened. "I'm not sure if you know this, but it's hard for a migrant worker to find a job. My dad got injured in a battle and had a leg amputated, so nobody will hire him. The sorts of jobs that we can do aren't the intellectual types, so you need two working legs for just about all of them."

"You're trying to support yourself and your dad on a _soldier's_ wage?" Ness said.

"I know," Fuel said, his voice grim, "But what are my options? Look at the sign of the pasta restaurant next door. It says 'We're hiring. Nowhere Islanders need not apply.'"

"I can't believe it," Ness said. "You're risking your life to fight against the Americans, who have done nothing to you, simply because you have to. That's messed up in so many ways."

"Well, I wouldn't say that the Americans did _nothing_ to me," Fuel said. "They didn't allow me into their country." He grimaced. "But I don't want to shoot them up, which is what you probably mean."

"Oh man. You should have told me earlier!"

"In front of Pirkle?"

Ness frowned.

"Well, maybe not," he said. "But Fuel, don't feel like you have to fight with us. My dad makes plenty of money as a businessman and I've earned some cash through sponsorship deals and stuff like that as well. I have no idea what to do with any of it. You should take some and keep yourself safe. I think that will mean the most to your dad."

"You're not hard to predict, you know that?" Fuel said, chuckling to himself. "I could see that offer coming from a mile away. Naturally, I can't accept."

"What? Why not?"

"Because I'm _fine._ "

"Your situation doesn't sound fine to me."

"Well, most migrants are less fine than I am. If you really care, donate your money to them. I can give you a couple organizations, if you'd like…"

"Yes, please."

Fuel frowned.

"That was quicker than I expected. Maybe you're not so easy to read."

"If people are in worse conditions than you are and they need my money to get themselves back up," Ness said. "They can have it. I'm still paying for this lunch, though. That can be my little way of helping you."

"I don't suppose that I can convince you otherwise?" Fuel asked.

"Heavens, no! Just ask Paula; I'm as stubborn as…" Ness scratched its chin. "What's an animal that's stubborn?"

"It kills your simile if you have to ask for help," Fuel said, "But I know that wolverines are stubborn. They never give up."

"I'm as stubborn as a wolverine," Ness said. "And as cute as one."

"So… not at all?"

"Exactly. Now, let's finish these delicious burgers before we head over to Twoson."

"Agreed."

They sat and ate without talking for several seconds.

"Hey, Fuel?" Ness said, interrupting the peace. "I just realized something."

"Hmm?"

"I bet a wolverine wouldn't eat the bread or tomatoes in here since they're carnivores. You need to find me a new animal."

Fuel rolled his eyes, but he couldn't stop a smile from shining through.

* * *

 **America: Ellay**

"We need to move out of the city," Flint said firmly.

Lucas was looking down. They were back at their apartment to pack up their things, not that they had much to begin with.

Boney was chowing down on some nut bread Lucas provided for him. After Flint had told Lucas about the America's announcement for war with the Eagleland, Duster said he had to go find the important thing fast because they all get involved with the war. Lucas wanted to help the man, but Flint dragged him back home.

"With a war about to start, the government are bound to be looking for new recruits for soldiers," Flint said. "And we don't even know if those people who bombed the nightclub are still out there."

Lucas gulped at that, he had yet to tell Flint what really happened in that nightclub. Other than Boney, Flint was the only other person who knew of Lucas's PSI.

Boney was looking a little more healthy after he ate all those nut breads and wagged his tail, " _Whoa, I've never eaten so much in a long time! Thank you so much!"_

Lucas gave the dog a small smile as he petted his head.

Lucas knew he should come clean, because not coming clean the first time is what lead to this announced war to begin with. The boy felt the guilt trying to claw its way into his mind, but he desperately tried to ignore it and keep it out. What would his father say if he told him _he_ was the one who blew up the nightclub and started the war?

" _I can smell the fear in you, Lucas. Are you scared of something? Ah, you're worried about what your daddy will think, right?"_ Boney said, already knowing what was on the boy's troubled mind.

"I just don't think I should…" Lucas said quietly.

Flint turned to Lucas and raised an eyebrow.

"What did it say?" Flint asked curiously.

Lucas almost flinched when he remembered Flint knew he could understand animals due to his PSI. It was probably why his dad didn't ask him why he brought Boney home with them.

"... Um…" Lucas hesitated.

" _Hey, just tell him. He's your pops, right? I'm sure he'll understand it was an accident,"_ Boney said.

Lucas sighed and steeled himself to tell his father, "Dad… about what happened at the nightclub… it was… my fault."

Flint looked at Lucas for a long time, making Lucas feel like he was standing in a courthouse being judged.

"... What happened?" Flint's voice was hard and firm.

Lucas shrink away, but said, "I-I was just taking a stroll in the park when I ran into a Black Blood Gang member…"

Lucas recounted his tale about how he found Boney and was surrounded by the gang members before taken to the nightclub where their boss beat him up. Flint's fists tighten at that.

"Then… I don't know… I just started seeing the gang members as Pigmasks all of a sudden, and I saw Mom and Claus in front of me before they…" Lucas cringed at the memory. "Disappeared, and my PSI just… went wild… I'm sorry Dad, I didn't mean to cause a war!" Lucas's eyes filled with tears. The boy had promised to never cry again, and yet here he was, bawling his eyes out to his father.

To Lucas's surprise, however, Flint didn't belittle him for it and then scold him about starting a war. Instead, the father tilted his hat before embracing Lucas in a hug. To say Lucas was surprised would be understatement, Flint giving hugs was a once in a blue moon occurrence other than with the late Hinawa.

"D-Dad?"

"Lucas… don't blame yourself for all this," Flint said softly. "You may have grown a bit bitter, but you're still as sweet as your mother. I know you didn't do this to cause trouble; you were just defending yourself from those ignorant bullies who tried to hurt you just because of an accident. Lucas, you didn't start this war, never blame yourself for that."

"But I pulled the trigger for it," Lucas said sadly.

"I have a feeling that this war was going to happen whether you had done that or not," Flint said.

"I hate that I have this PSI power," Lucas said bitterly. "I wish this PSI thing never existed, or at least not in me!"

"Lucas, your PSI is a blessing," Flint said. "Because it kept you from being torn to bloody shreds by that gang leader."

"It doesn't matter anyways," Lucas said. "We're all going to die in this war."

"No we're not, and I don't want you giving up either," Flint said. "You said that Duster fellow talked to you about a small town called Podunk, right? In times of war, it's best to flee to the countryside to avoid as much of the war as we can."

" _Hey, if there's going to be a big war, can I go with you guys? You gave me food and this city is probably going to go up in smokes,"_ Boney asked.

Lucas nodded to Boney before he said, "Dad, can Boney come with us?"

"I'm not sure if we can support a dog," Flint said. "... But he does seem pretty loyal to you already, and maybe a dog could help protect us from the wild animals outside this city."

" _I promise I won't let you down, Flint sir!"_ Boney barked.

"We better get going, we've got a long walk ahead of us," Flint said. "We should have just enough money to take the bus when we get to Merryville, unfortunately the train would be too expensive. I've packed us as many food as I could buy with our money so it can last us a week or two."

Lucas nodded before he patted Boney, "Ready for a long trip, boy?"

" _Yup! I love taking long walks anyways!"_ Boney barked happily, wagging his tail.

* * *

With all their things packed, Lucas, Flint and Boney were more than happy to say goodbye to the apartment and the city itself. Lucas was glad to know they wouldn't have to stay in Ellay for very long, nothing but bad memories here. If there's a few good things out of it, Lucas got to meet Boney, and a nice thief named Duster, otherwise he'd be more than happy to forget this place even existed.

Flint, Lucas and Boney were passing by the now destroyed nightclub that was now quarantine for the investigation team. Lucas tried not to look directly at the damages, especially since there were no traces of the BB Gang after his outburst.

"Looks like they already got someone investigating the so-called bombing now," Flint said.

Curiosity won over guilty as Lucas looked at the nightclub. He cringed when he saw how bad it looked from the outside; the roof was collapsing into itself, the windows were shattered, the walls were torn or crooked. He also saw a young man wearing a blue, red and white striped shirt, and a red scarf and red hat. Beside the young man was a young lady wearing a blue full sleeved hoodie, but what really stuck out about her was the bright, hot pink hair. Lucas couldn't tell if that was natural or dyed, but the hair made him cringed from a certain memory.

"They'll probably never figure it out," Lucas sighed. "There's no actual bomb devices planted in there."

"Come on, let's go, there's nothing for us here anymore," Flint said as he, Lucas and Boney moved on.

When they began leaving the city, they saw a sign that said: "WARNING! YOU ARE ABOUT TO LEAVE CITY PROPERTY. THERE ARE WILD ANIMALS AND CHIMERAS THAT ARE HOSTILE BEYOND THIS POINT. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK!"

"Chimeras?" Lucas frowned. "I thought they were only in Nowhere Islands since the Pigmasks started experimenting on those poor animals…"

"They probably started importing them overseas to spread their 'creativity'," Flint sighed. "Let's try to avoid these animals and chimeras as much as possible."

With those words said, the small family proceed to leave Ellay. Once they were in the outskirts, they could already see a lot of wild dogs, eagles, hyenas, tigers, and even elephants running around the place. But there were also things like the slitherhen, muttshroom, and… chick head on a stick? How this is biologically possible, Lucas will never know.

Boney growled at these creatures, but thankfully they weren't hostile enough to attack them on sight. They kept a watchful eye on the small family, probably deemed them as a nuisance rather than a threat. So far so good.

"It's not so bad out here," Flint said. "We'll be able to make it to Merryville in no time at this rate."

Lucas smiled before he felt a slight tremor. The tremor got stronger. Lucas soon realized these may not be tremors but footsteps to something big, and it was approaching them.

"I think I spoke too soon." Flint frowned.

Boney began barking in one direction, " _THERE! OVER THERE! IT'S A MECHA! A DANGEROUS MECHA!"_

Lucas looked at the direction Boney was shouting in and felt his body going numb. A huge green dinosaur creature came stomping out from behind a huge boulder, revealing metal parts attached to its body.

"Is that… a Drago?" Lucas squeaked in fear as he backed away, his heart beating against his chest.

"If it was… it's not anymore," Flint said grimly.

The Drago's legs were replaced by bionic robotic parts, so was its tail, its left eye and its under jaw. When the Drago opened its mouth to roar it revealed some kind of metallic hole in there, and it looked ready to pounce on the small family.

"D-Dad, what should we do?" Lucas asked in fear.

Boney was growling, but Lucas could tell he was scared too.

"Try to run for it, we're no match against a Drago's tough hide, let alone a mecha one!" Flint yelled.

Lucas didn't need to be told twice; he, Flint and Boney took off running in the opposite direction. The Mecha Drago stomped after them, not intending them to leave without a fight.

"What's a Drago doing way out here?" Lucas asked as they kept running. "I thought they were only native to Nowhere Islands!"

"The Pigmasks must've reconstructed and brought it here!" Flint answered. "I don't know what their reasoning of that is, but if we don't get out of here we're dead meat!"

" _There's water up ahead!"_ Boney barked a warning.

"What? Ah!" Lucas grabbed his father's hand and dug his heels into the ground to stop him.

"Lucas, wha-?"

Flint gasped when he saw there was a ravine up ahead, and nothing but a narrow river down below. And there was a deadly, angry Mecha Drago on their tails.

Lucas only felt trapped like this when the Pigmasks and those gang members tried to surround him. This was bad, what if he had another outburst and killed his own father this time?

The Mecha Drago stomped towards them before giving a loud roar. Flint gritted his teeth before looking at Lucas. "Lucas, I'm going to need your help if we are to defend ourselves."

Lucas paled, "B-but Dad, I can't-"

"Just listen… there is only one thing that can pierce a Drago's tough hide… and that's their own fangs. Help me knock out one of its fangs, _please_!" Flint begged.

The Mecha Drago launched itself at them. Lucas, Flint and Boney moved around, trying to avoid its deadly teeth.

Lucas grabbed onto its leg to avoid its jaws, hoping his father and Boney didn't get bitten. The Mecha Drago stomped its feet around, trying to get Lucas off of it.

"Lucas! Please!" Lucas heard Flint calling out to him. "Just knock out one of its fangs with your power. I know you can do it!"

Lucas hated using his PSI, especially after all the trouble it had caused him, but if he didn't use it now then they'll be Mecha Drago meat.

Lucas focused on the power deep within him, feeling it rise to the surface rather quickly. The PSI had sensed Lucas in danger and came to his aid when he called upon in. Lucas felt the power in his chest and forced it towards his arm and to his finger, where he had more control over it. His index finger sparked with power.

"PK Love!" Lucas called out.

The blue energy shot forward at the Mecha Drago's mouth, and exploded in a hexagonal shape. The Mecha Drago gave a roar of pain as a tooth that Lucas had aimed for came clean off. As soon as the fang hit the ground, Flint dived for it.

The Mecha Drago stumbled back from the PSI attack, and Lucas hurried over to his father and Boney.

Flint grabbed the fang and took out a stick and some strong string, quickly tying the fang to the stick with the string to make a weapon while the Mecha Drago was trying to regain its balance.

"Dad, it's coming back!" Lucas yelled in alarm when the Mecha Drago regain its composure and charged towards them.

The Mecha Drago shot out fire from its mouth. Lucas pushed Boney while Flint jumped away.

"Alright, come here!" Flint yelled as he gripped onto the Drago Fang and ran at the Drago.

When Flint pounced on the Drago, he dug the fang into its fleshy side, causing it to scream out in pain.

" _Alright! We've got it on the ropes now!"_ Boney cheered.

The Mecha Drago stomped on them. Boney yelped as he moved away, but Lucas wasn't as fast and he was crushed under its foot. Lucas shut his eyes in pain as he felt like his bones were being crushed.

"GET OFF HIM!" Lucas heard Flint screaming.

Lucas couldn't see what was going on, but he could hear the Mecha Drago screeching in pain. Lucas could guess that his father was jabbing the fang into the Drago to make it get off of him. Lucas was surprised he hadn't blacked out yet after being crushed. He should dead or at least out cold, and yet he's not.

Lucas could hear Boney barking and biting, probably to try and help Flint get the Mecha Drago off of him. Lucas knew this miracle of being conscious and alive while being crushed by a giant, metal dinosaur wouldn't last forever, so he tried to struggle out as much as he could. He could already see the darkness coming for him.

"What? Who are you?" Lucas heard the echos of his father.

"We're here to help!" A feminine voice said. "Now move aside!"

Lucas tried to open his eyes to see who else was here.

"PK Thunder beta!"

Lucas yelped when he heard a loud BOOM above him. Was there a lightning storm? The big weight that was crushing him was suddenly gone. Looking back, Lucas could see the Mecha Drago was stumbling away from him, bloody from the piercings of its own fang, and twitching from electricity. The Mecha Drago fell to the ground and stopped moving, the bright blue mechanical eye had shut down.

"Seems you've gotten yourself pretty roughed up," another voice said, this one sounded more masculine than the voice from earlier.

Lucas cringed as he felt a hand touching his back, "Lifeup gamma!"

Lucas's blood went cold from shock when he heard those words being said. His body felt instantly better, his bones all mended, and he could stand up again. He looked up at the ones who saved him, and they were… the investigation team?

"Thank you…" Flint said. "But why did you come out here to save us?"

"Heh, that's quite a crude way to thank someone," the young man said. "But it's understandable. We should introduce ourselves."

The young lady with the pink hair said, "The name's Kumatora, and you guys got guts going head to tooth with that big bad dinosaur."

The young man gave a small chuckle before he said, "My name is Ninten, and we're here because Kumatora sensed a powerful PSI that was used at the nightclub and we traced it out here."

Lucas almost felt his heart stop as Ninten looked at him specifically.

"So… it wasn't a bomb that demolished that place, was it?" Ninten said as he looked at the boy.

"I-I'm so sorry! D-don't arrest or execute me please… I… I don't want to die just yet…" Lucas begged, trying not to show more tears.

"Look at what you did, Ninten, you scared the poor boy!" Kumatora huffed.

"H-hey, you're not in any trouble… well, you do need to be asked a few questions," Ninten said. "But right now, I'm here because I'm looking for recruits to take on this war. And a PSI user like you, Lucas, would be invaluable to us."


	6. Chapter 5: Planning

**Connor: Here we are with another chapter, even if this one's a little later in the day. But if you've been reading Ceres, you're probably used to this. :P**

 **DarkFoxKit: Were you busy today, Connor?**

 **Connor: Not particularly. What about you?**

 **DarkFoxKit: Mostly just went out to eat some pizza. Heh, gotta love these simple days. ^^ Anyways, shall we go ahead and get to the reviews?**

 **That one guy named me:** **Connor:** Yep, as you may know the English translation of Mother states that the game takes place in rural America, so we're using that interpretation. You might see more characters from Mother/EB Beginnings pop up later…

 **A Polar Bear:** **DarkFoxKit:** Gee, thanks. Sounds like someone has complete faith in your writing, Connor. -_-'

I usually enjoy character writing, though I'm the type of writer who prefers to write for one character and have them react to the others around them. I find it easier to do that way, so even if there's a lot of different characters I don't feel too overwhelmed. Now I'm not sure if you're talking about my or Connor's writing style here, but I'm going to assume you're mostly talking about Connor's style.

 **Connor:** He did mention both of us, you know. :P I naturally tend to write way more characters than I need, so this actually feels a little tame to me. But you're right; it's hard to give all of the characters their time in the spotlight while keeping the overall story interesting. A while back, I even noticed that you tend to focus on only a few characters and tried that approach for myself… It didn't last long haha. And I think the part about teenagers making a lot of sense in this story applies to you too, Fox. :) Lucas is a pretty sensible guy. I totally get what you're saying, and I've tried to write characters in the past who don't stand on high moral ground and are less mature, but it hardly ever stays that way since I don't know too many people like that to base my characters off of. Still, I can promise that there will be moral conflicts between the characters; they just might be a bit more… eloquent than usual. Thanks for the support and I hope that you continue to enjoy this story! :)

 **Ninten64:** **DarkFoxKit:** It was pretty obvious how and why Ness was going to be involved since he's the hero of the world from Eagleland, Lucas on the other hand, we had to get a little more creative with since he's the supposed nobody in the story. And yes, both boys met with Fuel before, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll trust each other though.

 **Darude Dogestorm:** **Connor:** Thanks! :) Kumatora and Ninten won't be as pivotal as some of the other characters, but you can definitely look for them to make appearances.

 **Guest:** **DarkFoxKit:** Um… Thank you for reading and reviewing this story, but did you really have to ask me to update another story of mine that isn't relevant to this at all?

* * *

 **Chapter 5: Planning**

 **Eagleland: Twoson**

"Hey!" Ness said, knocking on the door to Paula's house. "I have a couple new friends for you to meet!"

"You know," came a voice from the other side of the door, "You're lucky that I'm actually here."

The door opened, revealing Paula's disapproving face.

"Honestly," she said. "What if my parents answered the door?"

"Is that the first impression you want to make on your new friends?" Ness asked. "You might convince them that you're painfully serious all the time."

Paula's expression didn't change.

"This is Frank Fly and this is Fuel," Ness said. "We're part of a special squad together."

"Yeah, Pirkle told me," Paula said. "Because I actually answer the phone when it rings."

"I blame Tracy," Ness said. "I'm usually out, so she answers the phone and forgets to tell me."

"I do what?" Tracy said, walking up to the front door. "And who are these people? That's Frank, right?"

"I'm Fuel," the Nowhere Islander said. "And we're on a special squad with your brother."

"I wish that _I_ could fight with Ness," Tracy said. "Although, I'm not serious enough to make it through any kind of training. Thank God that I'm White and middle class."

Ness looked at Fuel, expecting him to flinch or glare, but the islander cracked a smirk.

"At least you know it," Fuel said. "Still, war is a dangerous business. I don't think you'd want to get tangled up in it."

"I might end up a casualty whether or not I'm a soldier," Tracy said. "The Americans have enough bombs to cover the entire Atlantic Ocean with explosions."

"That's not a thing that little girls should say so flippantly," Frank said, playing with a knife.

"Uh… Tracy," Ness said. "I need to talk to you and mom about something. You know how we talked about Pirkle hiding you? He pointed out that I always advocated for treating everyone the same, so to hide you and mom away as a special request would kind of… um…"

"Violate the entire moral premise of every argument you've ever used against Pirkle?"

Ness cringed. Tracy hit the mark head on.

"Mom guessed that you would come back here with something like that. She knows you better than you think, bro. Yeah, we're fine hiding ourselves. We'll let you in on the details once we're done with our plans."

Ness breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Tracy."

"Don't thank me. Mom's the one who convinced _me_ that your morals are worth more than a dollar."

"Well, tell her thanks when you see her," Ness said. "Where is she, by the way?"

"Buying stuff. We're both dying our hair to make ourselves less identifiable." Tracy cocked her head. "Identifiable. That sounds like it shouldn't be a word. Just say it, Ness. It sounds wrong."

"I've already heard you say it twice," Ness said. Turning to Paula, "Pirkle said that you would have the details of our mission."

"Right," Paula said. "Come on in. You're lucky that our preschool isn't in session. You'd both reduce those poor kids to tears."

"Us?" Fuel said. "Why?"

"Maybe because you have a _rifle_ strapped to your back?" Tracy said. "Just a thought."

"Oh," Fuel said. "Hey Ness, does your sister always have to make everyone else feel inferior?"

"Always?" Ness said, pretending to contemplate the question. "I want say that's a stretch, but it really isn't."

Tracy snorted.

"I have to speak bluntly or else my dear _brother_ will hog all the attention with his fame," she said. "Speaking of which, are you dating Paula yet?"

"Tracy…" Ness said. "There is no 'yet.' No, I'm not dating Paula."

"So you're that opposed to the idea?" Paula asked, feigning surprise. "Do you hate me that much?" She broke down into clearly fake tears. "You're terrible, Ness!"

"You two are bad influences on each other," Ness said. "Now may we come in and get down to business?"

"Sure," Paula said, dropping her facade. "We would _never_ want to waste valuable time, after all."

She walked further into the house, beckoning for Ness' group to follow.

"This," Fuel said, "Was not what I expected from my first encounter with two of the four legendary heroes."

* * *

After the four members of Pirkle's squad settled down in the second floor of Paula's house, she introduced the mission to them.

"For some reason," she said. "The Pentagon doesn't have all of the data about American PSI-users."

"You mean we broke in and didn't find anything?" Frank asked.

"Wait, slow down here," Fuel said. "What's a pentagon? Isn't that a shape?"

"Ah, right," Paula said. "The Pentagon is the center of American military intelligence, but we've decoded reports saying that people are frustrated how little information they have about their own PSI unit. I guess Ninten's doing a pretty good job of keeping his PSI-users from becoming glorified soldiers."

 _Which is what we are,_ Ness thought.

"We know little about the American PSI-users," Paula said. "How many there are, how well they're equipped, what weapons they have… you know, everything that we need to determine how much of a threat they are. We also don't know how well the government controls them."

"Pirkle did mention that we would be gathering information," Fuel said. "So is that what we do? Sneak in and grab files from where the PSI-users are?"

"Files would be nice," Paula said. "But we have no idea where they would be. For now, our mission is to study the PSI users and record our impressions. Are they a minor add-on to the American army, or will they form the backbone of an assault?"

Ness shuddered. Dealing with PSI-users was bad enough on its own, but a military strategy that used PSI as a key form of attack or defense… That opened up more possibilities than Ness could imagine. Someone who specialized in more supportive PSI like Ness himself could turn a squad of regular soldiers into killing machines.

"Scared already?" Frank asked, clapping Ness on the back.

"If the Americans know how to enhance their military with the right PSI," Ness said, "We've basically lost the war already."

"I don't relish the opportunity of taking on such an army myself," Paula said. "It won't matter if they have nukes or not if they harness PSI effectively."

"So the rumors about the Americans going after nuclear fusion technology," Frank said, stroking his chin. "They're true?"

"You lost me again," Fuel said, gritting his teeth. "Sorry."

"It's fine," Paula said. "Ness probably doesn't know what nuclear fusion is, and he has no excuse since I explained it to him earlier."

"That's not true!" Ness protested. "Nuclear fusion is… uh… a way to make even bigger bombs. Right, Paula?"

"...Basically. It _can_ be used to make bombs far more destructive than the ones outlawed by the Fourside Convention. Well, theoretically. Nobody's managed to do it yet."

"That's a relief," Fuel said.

"Indeed. Although, I believe Pirkle has some of our scientists working on it as well. He figures that if we both gain hydrogen bombs then we'll be able to force a stalemate."

"Really," Frank said. "Can't say I blame him."

"Although that's confidential information," Paula said. "So obviously, you didn't hear it, and you _absolutely_ did not hear it from me."

"Let's try to get back on track," Ness said. "So how are we going to get the information from the American PSI unit? Their training facility is located in Merrysville, right?"

Paula nodded.

"We'll stick out like a sore thumb," she said. "Four new arrivals with Eagleish accents? Although you sound like you come from the Nowhere Islands, Fuel."

"I do," Fuel said. "But I don't think that really helps."

"I can do an American accent," Ness said. "See? It's easy. I just put emphasis on different parts of words."

"Right," Paula said. "That's where Ness comes in. By most accounts, I should be the one leading the infiltration. I have PSI Magnet, which means that I can detect other PSI-users. I'm probably better at stealth than Ness is, and I'll be able to recognize data files more easily. But Ness can talk his way into any situation."

"And out of them, too," Ness said. "My words shall never fail me!"

"Please stop talking in that American accent," Paula said. "You'll drive me insane."

"I think that means switching to a _southern_ American accent," Ness said, performing the switch halfway through the sentence.

"Good God, please stop!" Paula said. "Now, as I was _saying…_ Ness will probably want some backup, so he can go with Fuel. I'm counting on you to bluff your way through this entire mission like you always do. Fuel," she turned to face him. "Ness is a persuasive speaker, but he's also an idiot. If he's starting to tie a proverbial noose around his neck, you need to get him out of there even if it means shooting him in the foot. All right?"

"Yes ma'am," Fuel said with a smirk. "I'll try to rein him back."

"Good," Paula said. "Because if he gets captured or goes missing, this entire mission falls to pieces. He's the only one who can teleport us out there."

"Yeah," Ness said. "We should bring Poo along for backup."

"Dalaam is neutral in this war," Paula said. "So you'll have to do, despite your vast inferiority."

"That's actually rude," Ness said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I demand an apology."

"I'm sorry for bursting your bubble," Paula said. "Now that we got that over with, back to the other part of the mission."

"Wait a second," Ness said. "You can't _possibly_ count that as an apology!"

"Frank and I will investigate a nearby factory that belongs to a man named Duncan. He's making bombs and we want to know the detailst. Maybe we could take a page out of his book and improve our own weapons. Frank knows a surprising amount about explosives, and I'll steer us clear of any PSI users. Does that sound good to everyone?"

"No," Ness said. "I still haven't received a legitimate apology yet."

"Does that sound good to everyone else?" Paula amended.

Fuel and Teddy nodded.

"Hey Paula," Ness said. "Serious issue. If I have to infiltrate their training grounds, I'll need to look different. I'm thinking about using the hair dye that my mom's out getting."

"Sounds good," Paula said.

"Also, do you have a knife or something?"

"What for?"

"I want to stab myself and heal it most of the way so that I get a scar," Ness said. "Everyone knows that the hero Ness doesn't have scars on his face, right? Easy way to throw people off my scent."

"Please tell me you're joking," Paula said.

"I'm serious. The fate of Eagleland could be in our hands, and it could depend on whether or not anyone finds out who I am. Let me give myself a couple scars, Paula."

"You're an idiot."

"You're the _real_ idiot if you would rather put our whole plan at a greater risk just because you don't like the idea of me hurting myself.."

"I… guess that you're right," Paula said. "Just don't spill blood everywhere. Otherwise, I'll drag your ass over here to clean it up yourself."

"Phew," Ness said, faking a sigh. "For a second, I thought that you were actually worried about my well-being. Wouldn't _that_ be something special?"

"You're the worst."

"And you're not acting any better. Now, who wants to watch me stab myself with a knife?"

* * *

The entire process of dying his hair and giving himself scars took longer than Ness expected. After some experimentation and failed run, Ness eventually managed to dye his hair blond after trimming it down significantly. Additionally, he gave himself a massive scar across his left cheek and a smaller one across the bridge of his nose. His mom also came back with eyedrops that could change the color of his eyes, and Ness used them to turn his irises bright blue.

"Ah," Ness said, looking at himself in the mirror. "I hardly recognize myself. I just need a cool outfit…"

"What if you wore an eyepatch or something?" Fuel asked.

"Are you serious?" Ness asked, looking at Fuel as if he were crazy. "That is… the _greatest_ idea I've ever heard in my life! Hey Paula! You dressed up as a pirate once for a school skit, right? Can I borrow your eyepatch?"

After minutes of arguing, Paula eventually gave up and got Ness a cheap eyepatch that was probably worth a couple dollars at most.

"Never thought the fate of our country would hinge on a plastic prop," Ness said, adjusting his eyepatch in the mirror.

"It's already dark," Fuel said. "Should we still teleport to Merrysville and carry out our plan?"

"Yeah, let's go!" Ness said. "We'll be fine. I can use the night to my advantage, since I'm as stealthy as a wolverine."

"As stealthy as…" Paula trailed off, frowning at Ness. "What?"

"It's an inside joke," Ness said. "Now let's hurry over to Merrysville before anyone makes a dumb blonde joke referencing my new hair color."

* * *

 **America: Plains**

Lucas felt cold when Ninten told him he was there to recruit him for the war, because of his PSI.

"Excuse me," Flint said. "But my son and I were leaving the city because we wanted to stay out of this war as much as possible. I thank you for saving our lives, but neither of us want to be involved with this war."

"Well too bad," Kumatora said. "It doesn't matter where you go; you'll get involved with some of the bombing or gunfire anyways. And if your plan was to stay out here and live in the wild, well you wouldn't live very long either, considering there are many deadly chimeras out here, some even stronger than that Mecha Drago you just fought with."

"As much as I hate to admit it, Kumatora's right," Ninten said. "I'd rather not get involved in this war myself either, but I wasn't given much of a choice. It's such a shame, especially since I'd have to go up against the hero of the world himself."

"You mean Ness? The one who defeated that Giygas fellow?" Kumatora asked.

Ninten nodded.

Kumatora rolled her eyes, "Need I remind you who defeated that alien douchebag before Ness even knew about the world outside of his own house?"

"To be fair we only sung a lullaby to send him running. A lot of good that did since he returned and almost destroyed everyone," Ninten sighed. "But we're not here to talk about that."

Lucas swallowed as he felt his heart beating against his chest, what was he going to do? He was not a fighter and he wanted nothing to do with this war. He and his father came to America to live peacefully, not get involved with war.

"First, I'd like to hear a little more about you," Ninten said. "You two don't look like Americans."

" _Oh, so because I'm a dog I'm not included in the conversation?"_ Boney grumbled.

Kumatora smirked a bit at the dog before she said, "Nah, it's just because you're a dog you're not included in politics."

" _How rude! … What's politics?"_ Boney tilted his head, making Kumatora laugh.

Lucas almost smiled at the little interaction between Boney and Kumatora, but he felt too uneasy.

"We came from Nowhere Islands about a week and a day ago," Flint answered. "We came here in hopes of escaping the Pigmask's fascism and live peacefully here, but now I see that it was a mistake. Everywhere we go we're always going to get pulled into strife."

"So you're from Nowhere Islands?" Ninten looked at them. "I'm surprised, I had thought that Kumatora was the only one from Nowhere Islands who could use PSI."

Lucas looked up at Kumatora, surprised himself.

"Yup, I came from Nowhere Islands just like you!" Kumatora smiled. "It's pretty darn small once you've seen the world outside of it."

"Well…" Flint hesitated. "If you must know our names, I'm Flint."

"... Lucas," Lucas introduced himself.

" _I've been recently given the name Boney!"_ Boney barked proudly.

"Boney? Well I guess that's fitting seeing how bony you are," Kumatora said.

" _Shut it you! I'll get more meat on these bones one day!"_ Boney snapped.

"Now, now, Kumatora, let's not play with the dog when we have business to attend to," Ninten said with a small smile before turning his attention back to Flint and Lucas. "Now listen, please… I know this is asking for much, especially since this isn't even your homeland, but the way you three handled yourselves against that Mecha Drago makes you invaluable soldiers in my eyes. I also know Nowhere Islanders have it much harder out here than the locals do. I can help with that, but you'll have to join the army."

Flint frowned at this. Lucas only looked down, not knowing what to do.

"What do you mean by 'help'?" Flint asked skeptically.

"If it's money, food and shelter you need, I can easily provide that," Ninten said. "I was provided with an extensive amount of cash during my… little journey back in the day and still have plenty of it left over. But I have to use that money now in order to get the soldiers we need."

Flint was still hesitant, "I don't know… we do need that, but to join in on a _war_ we have no interest in…?"

Lucas looked up as he thought about the offer. Ninten was right; they _did_ need money and shelter right now, and who knew how long they could last with the food they have now. And Kumatora had a good point she brought up earlier; no matter where they run, they'd still be in the middle of the war. It was just a matter of being an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire or a soldier nobly fighting in the war. Between the two, Lucas did prefer not to fight but he also couldn't deny the benefits of joining the soldiers. Maybe he wouldn't have to fight and just sit on the sidelines, after all, Ninten and Kumatora seem like pretty strong PSI users already, why would they need him for?

"We'll do it," he said.

Everyone looked at him in shock.

"Lucas? Are you sure? This is _war_ we're talking about you know," Flint warned. "Once we join, we can't turn back."

"I-I know, Dad…" Lucas said. "But… it is as Kumatora said… we'll get caught up in the war whether we join them or not. Maybe it's better to stand _against_ the bombers rather than running and _getting_ bombed, right? And Ninten is right too… we do need the money he's offering to us."

Flint tilted his hat before he sighed, "... You're right, Lucas. We probably wouldn't be much better off if we refused anyways."

" _Hey! You better not leave me behind!"_ Boney barked.

"So you're all in?" Ninten asked to be sure.

"Yeah, it's not like our other options are any better," Flint said.

Lucas just gave a quiet nod.

"Excellent!" Kumatora smiled. "We can take you straight to Merryville. There's a military center there that whip up the soldiers into shape, and an animal trainer who trains dogs like your little… Boney here to be a vicious killing machine."

Lucas frowned, he didn't like the sound of that.

"Don't worry, they're only like that to the enemy, he'll still be the lovable dog you know him otherwise," Kumatora reassured the boy.

"Lucas, you'll be training under me and Kumatora, to help with your PSI training," Ninten said.

Lucas bit his lip, he really didn't want to use his PSI, but he had expected this.

"Are we going to take the train there?" Flint asked.

"Heh… who needs a train when you can teleport?" Ninten smirked.

"Wait, what?" Flint frowned.

"Just try not to get too sick," Ninten said before he took Lucas and Flint's hands.

Kumatora grabbed Boney before holding onto Ninten.

"Teleport!"

And the world around them deteriorated.

* * *

Lucas couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he remembered when they first arrived in Merryville after Ninten teleported. It was quieter than Ellay, not as big or messy. The people here didn't seem as cruel as the people in Ellay, but they were a little high strung. Then again with war on the horizon he couldn't really blame them. Flint and Boney had to go their separate ways once they reached the military camp. Lucas just hoped they'll be okay and nothing between them will change after this whole mess.

Lucas was taken in by Kumatora and Ninten. They had asked what kind of PSI he could use, and he told them he could use Lifeup, Shield, Offense Up, Defense Up and PK Love.

"So you're an assist type PSI user," Ninten said. "That's like me actually."

"I'm more of an offense type," Kumatora said. "So mine usually involve elemental PSI and lowering the enemy's buffs."

Lucas could've sworn he saw something in Kumatora's eyes when he mentioned his PK Love, but he couldn't tell. Maybe he's just being paranoid.

"Alright, let's begin. First we'll teach you how to better control your PSI," Ninten said. "The last thing you need is for it to activate when you're seriously stressed, that would waste precious energy."

Lucas honestly didn't want anything to do with his PSI, nor did he want to fight, but he still did what they told him because he didn't want to disappoint them and get in trouble. He's made his bed, now he has to sleep in it. Lucas still prayed that he wouldn't be too important for this war, and maybe they'll let him stay out of it due to his young age.

By the time Ninten finally said today's training was over, it was already dark outside. Lucas was to sleep in an empty room for the time being since he didn't have a place to stay in. Lucas was grateful nonetheless, as uncomfortable as the cot he was laying on was, it was still better than the nasty bed in the apartment back in Ellay.

However, Lucas had trouble sleeping. He was too uneasy with the whole war thing, and he was using his PSI far more than he was comfortable with. Lucas knew he had agreed to it from the moment he signed on as a soldier, but actually _doing it_ in practice was bothering him way more than it should. It reminded him too much of when _those people_ back on Nowhere Islands wanted to train and use him to awaken the Dragon.

Lucas sat up from his cot and wondered if his dad and Boney were doing okay. Maybe he could use this time to take a stroll around Merryville since he couldn't sleep anyways. The blond haired boy just hoped that he didn't end up running into another gang and have a repeat of what happened back in Ellay. Lucas went outside of the room he was in and took in the scent of fresh air, this city was far cleaner than Ellay was. He stretched out a bit before he started walking.

Lucas saw different types of buildings and people walking around. The young boy was walking by a building that had a sign that said: Tinkle Elementary School. The boy knew what school was, but he's never been to one as Tazmily never had a need for such a thing. Lucas wondered why people needed to hire someone to teach a room full of other people's kids how to read, write and become little office employees. It just seemed like a waste of time and hard on the adult needing to teach all those kids at once like that. Parents should be teaching their children, not someone who has no real connection to these kids.

While Lucas was lost in thought, he almost missed a hooded person passing him by. The hooded person looked no taller than he was, but he couldn't really see their face. The person stood beside him as if studying the school. Lucas blinked at him, at least he assumed it was a him. The hooded person gave a sad sigh before shaking his head and started walking away. Lucas watched him go in silence and couldn't help but wonder if he should've said something.


	7. Chapter 6: Infiltration

**Connor: Hey, everyone! Here we are back with another chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to keep these updates up now that I'm starting college. (Looks at date since Ceres was last updated) Well… maybe not.**

 **DarkFoxKit: No need to rush yourself. I guess college will keep you pretty busy though.**

 **Connor: Yep, I'm already way more busy than at home and classes haven't even started yet. D: But busy isn't always a bad thing. :) Enough about me, though; it's time to respond to the reviews!**

 **DarkFoxKit: Oh, speaking of Ceres and just Earthbound's fandom in general, it seems that there's been a lack of activity lately. I'm a little sadden by that. I guess this is a busy month for everyone.**

* * *

 **Ninten64** **:** Heh. ^^' Well good luck trying to figure out who that hooded figure was.

 **Connor:** There will be some more clues in this chapter. :)

 **That one guy named me:** **Connor:** Yep, nothing cooler than a pirate. ;) ...Except for real-life pirates. They were actually not all that great by any definition of the word. :(

 **solbiased** **: DarkFoxKit:** Who do you mean, me or Connor? And it's fine, it's not like we're forcing you to read our stories. They're meant to be there for the people's entertainment, to not stress you out. ^^' But I hope you're doing okay.

 **Connor:** And yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want to type out those long reviews again. Talk about time-consuming! ...Since starting college, time has really been on my mind quite a bit haha.

 **KookyMango:** **Connor:** Yep, we wouldn't make a protagonist who's not important in some way! ...I feel like someone's actually done that before, and that they've been heralded as a genius for it. *shrugs* Art of all forms if weird. And yep, Poo's going to be in this story! :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** Tracy and Fuel are both Connor's characters. He does a pretty good job with the interactions. Yeah, I like having Lucas being paranoid and uncomfortable. XD Boney's got quite an attitude on him which naturally clashes with Kumatora's hotheadedness. And we're not planning a one shot of Ninten and Kumatora's meeting, sorry. ^^' Thank you for enjoying and reviewing the story.

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Infiltration**

 **America: Merrysville (Ness)**

Ness and his crew teleported into the outskirts of Merrysville in the dead of night.

"Okay," Paula said, wearing a cloak to hide her features. "We'll meet back here when we're all done. Ness, remember that you're the only one who can teleport us out of here, so don't hesitate to run if you need to. Eagleland needs both of its PSI users for the war."

"Right," Ness said. " _Both_ of its PSI users. You stay safe too, Paula."

"You don't have to tell me. Unlike you, I can actually control my emotions and my impulses. I won't hesitate to run if I have to."

"I can control my impulses," Ness said. "I just choose not to. There's a difference."

Paula sighed, and even though Ness couldn't see her features he knew that she was rolling her eyes.

"We'll meet back here in two hours at the latest," Paula said. "If you don't see us by then, leave. Frank and I will be over in Duncan's factory, so it bad comes to worse we might blow something up in our faces. Don't wait until sunrise. Get out of there and get the information back to Pirkle."

"Yeah, sure," Ness said.

"You're not just saying that to get me off your case, are you?"

 _She's onto me,_ Ness thought. _There's no way that I'll leave her and Frank behind if the situation isn't clear._

"Of course not! I'll leave after two hours. I promise, Paula."

 _Hopefully she doesn't know how little my promises mean._

"All right," Paula said. "Good luck and don't die out there."

* * *

Ness and Fuel approached the guards standing in front of Merrysville's military base. The tall, steel building stuck out like a sore thumb, making it easy to identify. Ness craned his neck to look at the top. Not as tall as most buildings in Fourside, but he guessed that it had a good five or six stories.

The guards pointed their rifles at Ness and Fuel without saying a word.

"Whoa, whoa," Ness said in his American accent, holding his hands up. "Do you really think that we would approach you like this if we were enemies? Cut a couple kids some slack here."

The guards kept their guns in place.

"Listen," Ness said. "It's a little hard for me to think straight when you're pointing those rifles at me. I'm here to get a report from Ninten. The PSI unit in the capital wants to make sure it's doing all of the right things, and Ninten's the expert."

"PSI unit in the capital?" one of the guards asked.

"He didn't tell you?" Ness said. "You didn't honestly think that this little town was the only place to train PSI-users, did you? America's a massive country. Of course we'd have a unit in the capital." Ness created a hexagon-shaped spark of energy above each of his hands. "See? I'm a PSI-user."

"Why wouldn't they send a message over telepohne?" the guard asked. Both of them lowered their guns.

" _Thank you,_ good sirs," Ness said. "I can finally think straight without worrying about a bullet lodging into my fabulous skull. Although, I suppose you two were aiming at my chest… I don't exactly relish a bullet in my heart, either."

Fuel shoved Ness with the butt of his gun. The look in his eyes said "Answer the damn question."

"Oh, of course!" Ness said. "Calls can be tapped. Decoded. I am a PSI-user with teleport. Getting the information transmitted should take less than an hour. Did Ninten really not tell you about any of this?"

The guards exchanged a glance. Ness spotted uncertainty on their faces.

"I mean, can _you_ believe it?" Ness asked Fuel. "We were told that you would already know what's going on. I would hate to have to report back to the capital that this base has communication issues…"

"Fine," one of the guards said. "Come in. But I'll be accompanying you, so don't try anything funny."

"Aw, but I live to make jokes!" Ness said.

The guard glared at him.

"Fine," Ness said. "I shall keep my professional-level humor behind closed lips."

The guard sighed and looked over to Fuel.

"Do you have to deal with _this_ on a daily basis?" the guard asked. "I feel bad for you."

Fuel smirked and nodded. Ness figured that Fuel probably didn't want to speak because of his accent. Americans looked down upon Nowhere Islanders just as much as the Eagleish did, if not more.

The guard led Ness into the building. Numerous propaganda posters on the walls caught Ness' eye despite the dim lighting. "Uncle Sam wants YOU to…" "A normal Eagleish man spends 12 hours a day working in factories that produce bombs…" "Do you want to keep your loved ones safe? The army is looking for recruits…" Really, the posters were endless.

"Is this the residential floor?" Ness asked. "The straightforward layout seems to indicate something of that nature."

The guard nodded.

"Can you give me a quick rundown of the place?" Ness said. "You know, where everything is located? I should really ask Ninten, but I wouldn't want to waste his time with the basics. I'm sure he's busy, after all."

The guard grunted.

"Aw, come on," Ness said. "It's late and I'm sure he wants to get to bed as soon as possible. People who don't sleep get grumpy, you know. You don't want a grumpy commander, do you?"

"I'll tell you," the guard said. "But only to get you to shut up."

The guard explained the layout of the building. Ness didn't care about most of it, but he caught onto a snippet that special weapons involving PSI were hidden on the second floor.

"All right," Ness said. "And I know the general area, but do you know exactly how many PSI-users are training here?"

"Including the new recruit, it should be 14 soldiers in training," the guard answered. "So 16 if you count Ninten and Kumatora."

"Are all 16 ready for combat?" Ness asked.

"Well, not our new recruit," the guard said. "But otherwise, yeah. Our PSI-users practice with the regular soldiers, so they know their roles and can support a number of our men. The Eagleish will be outmatched in any battle we can prepare for."

16 PSI-users. Ness barely managed to keep the surprise from showing on his face. If all 16 of them were well trained, Eagleland hardly stood a chance. They could heal soldiers, take out targets, and break up battle lines, all without risking their own lives.

"Thanks. I only have one more thing to say and I promise I'll shut up for the rest of the trip."

"Thank heavens," the guard said. "What is it?"

"Hypnosis."

Ness concentrated and moved his hands in a specific fashion to use the ability. The guard collapsed to the floor, dropping his rifle. The gun clattered across the ground; Ness looked around to make sure nobody heard the noise.

"How long will he be out?" Fuel said.

"In a battle, the noise would wake him up before long. Here, he'll snooze soundly until morning."

"Why couldn't you do that to both of them at the entrance?"

"I suppose I could have done that. Ninten will probably put the pieces together either way."

"Well, how about next time we go with the option that _doesn't_ get a rifle pointed at me?" Fuel said. "I can't take as much punishment as you PSI-users can."

"Hey, cut me some slack," Ness said. "I only have the intelligence of a wolverine."

Fuel snorted.

"You're hopeless."

"You bet!" Ness flashed a cheesy smile, although he doubted Fuel could see it well in the dark. "Let's go up to the second floor and check out their weaponry. I've already learned more than I want to about the numbers and readiness of these American PSI-users."

* * *

"Well," Ness said, looking at the steel door in front of him. "This is the entrance to the weapons chamber."

"I would assume so given the sign right above it that says 'PSI weapons,'" Fuel said.

"It's locked."

"Do you have a way to unlock it?"

"No, not really."

"So, what's the plan?"

"I was hoping that you would have one."

"Me?" Fuel made a "pfft" sound. "I'm not the brains here. My job is to shoot things."

"Um…" came a child's voice from behind them.

Ness and Fuel whirled around to spot a boy wearing pyjamas. His gaze wandered between Ness and Fuel and shrunk back when they looked at him.

"What's a kid like this doing here?" Fuel asked.

"Are you a PSI-user?" Ness asked, reverting back to his American accent.

"Ness," Fuel said. "Listen to what you're saying. This kid's got to be thirteen, tops."

"Y-yeah," the boy said. "I use PSI. What are you two doing here? If you're bad guys, I'll take you out!"

"Don't worry," Ness said, putting on a smile. "We're on your side. "We just came for a routine check up on the base. We do it at night so that we don't bother anyone."

The boy shot Ness a skeptical glance

"I'm a PSI-user too, see?" Ness said, flashing hexagonal sparks above his palms. "I come from the capital, but I come from around this area so they sent me back here to check up on my homeland." Ness scratched his head and then pretended to come to a realization. "I probably sounded like a foreigner at first, didn't I?"

The boy nodded, and some of the distrust seemed to fade.

"It's just the accent from the capital," Ness said. "I guess I started talking that way without even realizing it. Now, we're new, so the people in the capital forgot to give us the code to get into this room. Would you mind letting us in?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, and Ness could see the gears in his head turning.

"It's easy," he finally said. "You just use the right PSI and it works."

The boy created three sparks of energy on the door that were spaced apart like a triangle. The door slid open, revealing the storage of American PSI weapons.

"Thanks," Ness said. "What are you doing up so late, anyway?"

"Not much. What's your name?"

 _Oh, whoops,_ Ness said. _Forgot to think of a fake name._

"Jorun," Ness said. "What's yours?"

"Tom Garrickson, just like my father. Nice to meet you, Jorun."

"You got recruited young, didn't you?" Ness asked.

"I've had PSI abilities since I was a baby," Tom said. A grin spread on his face. "Ninten told me that I even taught him how to teleport, although I don't remember that. What are you checking up on here?"

"Actually, we weren't given much to go on," Ness said. "Would you mind going through the list?"

"All right." Tom stepped into the room. "Come on in."

* * *

Ness stepped into the PSI weapons room, looking around. Weapons were placed neatly on shelves and stored in bins, although they looked so abstract that Ness didn't have a clue as to what most of them did. Perhaps they were bombs or communicators of some kind? He did, however, spot a helmet of the exact type that the Masked Man wore while attacking him.

"Hey Tom," Ness said. "Do any of the PSI-users here go by the name of 'Masked Man?'"

"No, not that I know of. Why do you ask?"

"I was told to ask that. My superiors wouldn't tell me why either. They seemed to think that it was important, though."

"Well, there's nobody like that here," Tom said, "Although we all wear those masks into battle."

 _Of course the Masked Man would want to obscure his identity,_ Ness thought. _Still, this points to him being one of the American PSI-users. Maybe Eagleland was right to declare war after all._

"So first, we have these plasma swords," Tom said, pulling out what looked like a hilt of a sword from a bin. "Just pump your PSI into it and you'll form the blade. It runs off of your own PSI power, obviously, so you have to be careful." Tom cocked his head. "Do you not recognize any of these weapons?"

"Sorry," Ness said, grabbing a pair of plasma swords from the bin while making sure not to activate them. "Like I said, I'm new to all of this. You can probably tell how young I am."

"Indeed I can," came a woman's voice from behind Ness. "It's a dubious honor to finally meet you, Ness."

Ness spun around as a cloaked figure walked into the room. She used PSI in a way that Ness didn't follow to close the door behind her, leaving him and Fuel trapped in.

"You're _Ness?_ " Tom said. "Like… the Eagleish psion? But you don't look _anything_ like him!"

"Don't move!" Fuel said, raising a handgun and pointing it at the cloaked figure. "Don't move or I'll shoot!"

"Who are you?" Ness said. "And what do you want with me?"

"Fear not." Ness detected a hint of humor in the woman's voice. "I do not work with these Americans, as Tom here can probably tell you."

"I've never seen this person in my life before," Tom said, stepping away.

"But still…" the woman raised a hand to her chin. "I should probably see what you're made of."

The woman lunged at Ness, revealing a spiked club from behind her back. Fuel cried out in alarm and shot her. The bullet slammed into her chest but bounced off.

Ness pumped PSI power into one of the plasma swords. Promptly, a blade of fiery substance erupted from Ness' blade. He met the woman's charge with his plasma sword and sliced the club in two.

"Oh dear me," the woman said, although her tone implied that she couldn't care less. "That's hardly fair. PK Beam gamma."

The woman shot out a massive white laser that passed through Ness and tore a hole in the wall, revealing the outside of the building. The night wind blasted through, chilling Ness to the bone.

"Lifeup gamma," Ness said, feeling his strength run low.

"Now," the woman said. "I suppose that I shall use your patented trick. Feel free to sue me later."

She took a running start and leapt out of the building through the hole that she created.

"Why would she just leave?" Fuel said.

 _And she knew about how I escaped the Masked Man by jumping out of my own window. Why does she know so much about me?_

Before Ness could think further, he heard the door open behind him.

* * *

 **America: Merrysville (Lucas)**

Lucas was coming back towards the military camp, a bit more refreshed from the walk and feeling tired enough to actually sleep, when he saw Ninten standing in the front door.

"Hmm?"

Ninten looked down on him and said, "Hey, Lucas, where've you been?"

"Oh, I was just out for a midnight stroll," Lucas said timidly. "I… I couldn't sleep… I always take strolls when I have trouble sleeping... I hope that was okay."

"Well, it's usually against military protocol to have someone out for a midnight stroll, especially since you're supposed to go to bed and rise early," Ninten said. "But I suppose I can give you some leeway since you're new here and all."

Lucas nodded, "Th-thank you."

"Well while you're here, I want to show you what we use for weapons."

"Weapons?"

"Of course, you didn't think we would go into battle without any weapons did you?" Ninten chuckled.

Lucas looked down and blushed, "I-I guess… but I thought the weapons were for the non-PSI soldiers?"

"Nah, they have their own weapons, but there are also weapons design specifically for PSI users like us. You don't really expect us to just solely rely on our PSI, do you? That would drain us too fast to really be effective on the battlefield," Ninten said.

Lucas supposed that made sense, but he still didn't want to have to fight.

"Now come on. You need to know the ins and outs of how we train and fight," Ninten said. "If you're ever to hope to stand a chance on the battlefield, you need to be prepared. Strength will only get you so far, you will need knowledge to utilize it too."

Lucas nodded before Ninten smiled and gestured the boy to follow him.

"There sure are a lot of doors here," Lucas said.

"We have a lot of rooms for a lot of different things," Ninten said. "But I'll spare you the details for now. There's only one place I want to show you at the moment."

They stopped in front of a door that had a sign that said 'PSI weapons'.

Lucas tilted his head when he didn't see a door knob, "How do you open this door?"

"This a special door that only PSI users can unlock," Ninten explained. "It's a weapons chamber for PSI users only after all. To open it, you'll need to use the right kind of PSI."

* * *

Before Lucas could ask, there was a loud clash on the other side of the door.

"What was that?" Lucas asked, surprised by the loud clash.

"That would be the sound of trouble. You better prepare yourself, Lucas, there could be an intruder through this door," Ninten warned.

Lucas gulped nervously, he hadn't expected to get into a fight so soon, but he nodded nonetheless.

Ninten's hand sparked before he put it on the door, turning the sparks into a triangle.

The door slide open, revealing three people Lucas can only assume to be close to his own age. Two of them were people he didn't recognize, but one of them… The brown haired boy who was beside the unknown blond haired boy with scars looked an awful lot like…

Lucas's eyes widen, "F-Fuel?"

"Jump!" The scarred boy hissed before grabbing Fuel's arm and jumping out the window.

"W-wait!" Lucas called out as he ran to the window, but didn't dare to jump.

Looking down, it wasn't that far down, but enough that could cause a leg injury. He saw the scarred boy landed like it was no problem, and ran off with Fuel.

"Ninten?" Lucas heard the other boy say with a surprised tone in his voice.

"Tom, what happened here?" Ninten asked. "Who were those two?"

Lucas looked back at them.

Tom shook his head, looking to be in a kind of daze, "I don't know who the brown haired boy was, sir, but the other boy… some hooded figure lady called him Ness… but he didn't look anything like the Ness I heard about."

"Hooded figure lady?" Ninten deadpanned. "How were we not aware of these intruders before?"

Tom shook his head, "I… I don't know… they… they were just…"

"Of course, that does sound like something Ness would do. He probably wanted to know what he was going to be up against." Ninten frowned. "Snap out of it Tom, this isn't becoming of a soldier. You can't get shaken up over events like this."

Lucas paled when he realized something, "... Y-you mean… those two… they're supposed to be our enemy?"

"Evidently, if that was indeed Ness, then he must've come here to gather intel on the military's soldiers and PSI users," Ninten said, though he was strangely calm about this.

"B-but… that other boy… who was with Ness…" Lucas hesitated.

"What about him?" Tom asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

"I… I know him… we were friends back on Nowhere Islands."

"Nowhere Islands?" Tom blinked, calming down a bit. "You came from there?"

Lucas looked down.

"I guess I should've known, your accent isn't American but it isn't quite Eaglish either," Tom said. "I thought Kumatora was the only PSI user on Nowhere Islands though."

Ninten gave a sigh before he said, "It doesn't matter where Lucas came from, we have other things to worry about right now. Ness was here and had infiltrated our camp. We best look around to see if he knocked any soldiers out while he was here."

"Shouldn't we go after him?" Tom asked.

"No, Ness can just teleport away. He'd be long gone by the time we get our capture party out the door," Ninten said.

Lucas blinked, "Teleport? I thought only you could teleport, Ninten."

"It's sort of a rare ability, but no, I'm not the only one. Tom here can use it too, he's the one who taught it to me when he was a baby," Ninten said, pointing to Tom.

Lucas stared at Ninten, "A… baby?" _He's just messing with me now, right?_

Tom laughed when he saw Lucas's disbelief expression, "Yeah, apparently I've had PSI since I was born. I don't even know why since they normally shouldn't activate until you get around my age now."

"Regardless, they have served you well. And about that mysterious hooded woman you mentioned earlier… I'll have to look into that soon," Ninten said before turning to Lucas. "For now, I need to get our new recruit into shape."

* * *

Ninten took this time to explain the helmets and weapons. Lucas found them fascinating, but he didn't want to touch them out of fear he might accidentally activate one of the Plasma Swords.

"Are you sure this timid kid is… soldier material, Ninten?" Tom asked. "He may have PSI, but he seems to lack the drive to fight."

Lucas bit his bottom lip as he stared at the floor. Tom hit the money right there.

"When the time comes, I'm sure Lucas won't let us down," Ninten said calmly. "In the meantime, I'm going to have to let Kumatora train him for the next few days. I have to look into something important."

Lucas watched as Ninten ran down the hallway and out of sight.

"So… is there really an island sized dragon sleeping in Nowhere Islands?" Tom asked curiously.

"There's no dragon, please do not ask me again," Lucas said coldly.

"Whoa, must be a touchy subject then," Tom said sheepishly.

Lucas sighed, "Sorry… it's just people in America had been calling me Dragon Boy or Nowhere Kid since I arrived in this country."

"Oh… I see, sorry about that. I didn't mean for you to take offensive about that dragon comment," Tom said. "I was just curious because there were a lot of stories about some chosen one, seven needles and a dragon that would end the world."

Lucas sighed before he said, "It doesn't matter if that's true or not, because the dragon is never coming out."

With those words said, Lucas left the weapon armory and headed for his room. He hated the fact that Fuel, one of his closest friends back in Tazmily Village, is now technically his enemy. If Lucas didn't want to fight in this war before, he most certainly didn't want to now, especially if it means having to kill his old friend.

* * *

But when Lucas opened his door, he saw Kumatora there. She was sitting on his cot as if waiting for him.

"Kumatora?"

"Hey Lucas," she greeted. "Ninten put me in charge of your training. But before we begin, there's something I have to ask…"

"Y-yes?"

Something about Kumatora's tone made Lucas's stomach quelch.

"Do you really have PK Love?" She asked.

"Um… that's what the PSI I used is called, yes," Lucas confirmed.

"I see… and how did you get your PSI awakened?"

Lucas frowned, "Why does it matter?"

Kumatora looked at him in the eye before she said, "I guess it doesn't. Get some sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow."

Lucas watched as Kumatora left him alone in his room. The boy wondered what all that was about, and he worried maybe Kumatora might have some connections to _those_ people… the Magypsies who tried to get him to awaken the Dragon. The boy shook his head. Like Kumatora said, it didn't matter. All of that became irrelevant the minute he and his father moved to America.

Lucas fell into a restless sleep that night.


	8. Chapter 7: The Gathering Storm

**Connor:** Sorry about us missing the update last week. I totally forgot with college starting and all that.

 **DarkFoxKit:** I forgot too. I was writing for a book, and it just went over my head. ^^' So Um… we hope this chapter will make up for it.

 **Connor:** Yeah, and hopefully we won't miss another update. Although I think that I accidentally ended up picking the classes that require a ton of work, so we'll see about that one. :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** Anyways, we'll just get to the reviews and let you read on to the chapter. Or rather review. Only one person reviewed the last chapter.

* * *

 **Ninten64** **:** Hi, thank you for reviewing. Lucas of Tazmily? I didn't write that. Did you, Connor? I think I remember seeing it on Fanfiction, but I don't think either of us wrote that story.

 **Connor:** crabbyTomato wrote it (who's been suspiciously absent from this site lately, I might add :P). But yes, I liked his portrayal of Tom Garrickson, so I added him in since he _would_ be a PSI-user and this is 10ish years after EB Beginnings.

 **DarkFoxKit:** Curious to who that hooded figure may be, huh? And wonder how Ness and Lucas will react when they actually interact with each other. Guess you'll have to wait and see.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: The Gathering Storm**

Ness ran towards the meeting spot through the night, passing by houses and closed shops.

"Okay," Fuel said. "Next time, can you _warn_ me when we're about to jump out of a window on a second story floor?"

"Sorry," Ness said. "And we can talk about this later."

Fuel took the hint. The Americans might pursue, so Ness and Fuel should use all of their oxygen on making their legs move faster rather than talking. Besides, who knew what they would attract if they kept on yapping?

After what must have been minutes but what felt like hours, Ness and Fuel arrived at the meeting spot, panting heavily. Luckily for them, Paula and Frank Fly stood present, raising eyebrows as the two boys stumbled in.

"Let's go," Ness said between gasps of air.

"Yeah, we'll have plenty of time to talk once we're out of here," Paula said. "Let's head over to Fourside; Pirkle has a special barracks prepared for us there."

Ness nodded.

"Teleport beta," he said, spreading the ability out to affect everyone in the party.

The world swirled around Ness before he floated into the sky.

* * *

"So let me see if I got the whole story," Paula said the next morning. "You snuck into the special weapons room, stole a couple plasma swords, and then you ran into serious trouble? Why does that not surprise me in the slightest?"

Ness shrugged. He and Paula as well as Fuel and Frank sat in the lounging area of their barracks room. Ness suspected that this was far better than what most soldiers got; the room came equipped with couches, tables, and even a kitchen with a sink, stove, and refrigerator. In fact, it almost looked like a larger hotel room.

"Not much of it scares me," Ness said. "But-"

"That didn't scare you?" Fuel interrupted. "I thought that I was going to die when you grabbed me and jumped out of that building!"

"Well, you _are_ going to die eventually," Ness said. "So technically you were right."

Paula glared at him, but the joke earned a laugh from Frank. Ness gave the ex-criminal a fistbump.

"Still," Fuel said. "Dealing with that woman didn't freak you out?"

"That was the 'but,'" Ness said. "Yeah, I didn't know what to think about her. I still don't know, actually. I don't like one bit of it."

"You said that she wore a cloak that obscured all of her features, right?" Paula said.

"Right. She wanted to keep her identity protected, although _I've_ never seen her before."

"Do you think that the Americans know her?" Fuel asked.

"I wouldn't count on it," Frank said, picking at his fingernails with a knife. "There are plenty of people who just don't want to show their face to the world, whether someone will recognize it or not. I know the type."

"I bet you would," Ness said. "But she seems like someone powerful yet petty. Someone who lives to watch the feeling of horror dawn on someone's face when she reveals their darkest secrets. I'm guessing that a lot of people would know her."

"Speaking of which," Fuel said. "She implied that jumping out of the building was something that you do often. Is _that_ why you didn't even hesitate before grabbing me and getting out of there?"

"Well, I wouldn't say _often…_ " Ness frowned. "I did jump out a window when a man wearing one of those American masks raided my house and attacked my family. I think that she was trying to taunt me with that."

"Ah, so is that why you were asking Tom Garrickson about the 'masked man?'" Fuel said.

Ness nodded.

"What about her PSI?" Paula said. "You said that she used an ability called PK Beam, right? Are you sure that was it?"

"Do you know something about that attack?"

"Actually, no." Paula frowned. "Which is strange, considering that I use psychokinetics quite often."

"Psycho-wha?" Frank said, raising an eyebrow.

"Psychokinetic," Paula said. "It's what PK stands for. Basically anything that involves the movement of particles or lack thereof. Telekinesis, the creation of electric fields…"

"You know, you can even make PSI sound boring," Frank said. "If I didn't know better, I'd laugh at the fancy terms you're using."

"Back to the point," Ness said. "So Paula hasn't heard of this PK Beam move, and we don't know who this woman is working for. Isn't that a little concerning?"

"I would be tempted to brush her off," Fuel said. "But she did seem to command a lot of power. It could be an act, but I think that we should try to keep an eye on her."

"And how can we do that if we don't even know who or where she is?" Paula asked.

"I don't know," Fuel said. "We should just all be on the lookout."

"Can do, young sir," Frank said. "I've gotten quite good at noticing things over time. Maybe I'll pick up on something that you missed."

Ness took a long look at the former leader of the Sharks. He was still confused as to why Pirkle would put someone with such a shady history in a position of importance. Perhaps Frank had more skills than he let on.

"So how did your investigation go?" Ness asked. "Find any cool things inside that dingy factory?"

"Bombs," Paula said. "Better ones than what we're using. The governments of the world don't need nuclear weapons to inflict massive damage on cities. Enough regular bombs will do the trick."

"So what you're saying," Ness replied, "Is that we're helping fighter jets drop bombs on civilians and kill more people?"

"Essentially," Paula said, her posture unflinching. "We need to hit the Americans where it hurts. We're already in danger of them simply rolling over us with their superior weaponry and efficient command systems."

"Plus," Frank said. "Many of the people in America are more or less brainwashed to support the government. They have a strict idea of what is 'American,' and they'll stick to it if it means watching thousands of Eagleish civilians die. If we want to end the war, we'll have to win it."

"Are they really that bad?" Fuel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, they're not," Paula said. "Our government employs brainwashing propaganda as well, but the Americans are just slightly better at it. In America, children are often taught at a young age to be patriotic and support the government in whatever it does."

"They make for a dangerous enemy," Frank said. "Much like our enemies in the Second Great War."

"The Americans are hardly fascists," Ness said. "Trust me. I've seen the pigmasks at their worst,and it's a far cry from what's happening across the Atlantic. I'm still hoping that we can reach a peaceful compromise soon. There's no reason why we really need to fight."

"I know," Fuel said. "This just feels pointless. Especially since…" Fuel's eyes flashed with alarm and he closed his mouth.

"Since what?" Ness said.

"I… don't want to say. It's nothing."

"You _will_ tell us," Paula said. "I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but we can't be having you keep secrets from us whenever you feel like it."

Fuel sighed.

"Of course I had to open my big mouth," he said. "Fine. Ness, do you remember after the woman jumped out of the hole in the wall when Ninten came in along with a blond-haired boy?"

"It was just yesterday, Fuel. My memory isn't _that_ bad." Ness winked.

"Er… right. I knew the blond boy. We grew up together in Tazmily." Fuel averted his gaze. "His name's Lucas."

"Oh, that's it?" Ness said. "Why didn't you just tell us earlier?"

"Because it serves as a message," Paula said. "Most of the Nowhere Islander refugees went to America, and some of them are probably fighting against us in the war. Fuel's worried that we won't trust him to fight against people like Lucas."

"Well, even if you don't want to fight against your old friend, we're lucky to have you aboard," Ness said.

"It's not that simple," Fuel said. "You could die if I _hesitate_ to shoot an enemy. I've seen it happen to people before. But whenever I see an American soldier from now on, I'll start to wonder if it's someone like Lucas, someone I knew. I don't know if I can keep my cool."

"We'll worry about it later," Paula said, standing up. "I'll file this report to Pirkle." She walked over to the room's exit. As she was about to leave, she turned back. "Thank you for telling us, Fuel. It helps us to have that information."

Fuel nodded, but his face remained downcast as Paula exited the room.

* * *

 **America: Merryville**

The next few months had been a nightmare for Lucas. Kumatora was not a light teacher. She was rough and tough. She made sure to aim her offense PSI right at the boy and he was to dodge, block or strike back. Lucas, being the pacifist that he was, only tried to dodge. But Kumatora was ruthless and clearly well trained; all her attacks were spot on. In fact the only thing keeping Lucas from falling apart was his Lifeup and his unnatural resilience.

Day after day, Kumatora would rough up the boy until he learned to defend himself and strike back. Lucas picked up a stick to attack Kumatora with. She smiled a bit when he finally started trying to attack her, proud that he was finally breaking out of his pacifist shell and fighting back. As the training went on, Lucas began to learn more PSI abilities, such as shields for both physical and PSI attacks. Those came in handy whenever Kumatora used her elemental PSI on him.

When Lucas finally managed to get a hit on Kumatora, she congratulated him on his progress and that he was now ready to train with the other soldiers. Lucas was to start using a real blade to practice with instead of a flimsy stick because he had to be ready to use a Plasma Sword when the time comes for him to join his fellow soldiers on the battlefield.

Lucas, now moved on with the rest of the soldiers in training, began to learn from them. The soldiers used guns to shoot from a distant. Some of the soldiers used melee weapons like swords or axes. Lucas used shields to keep from the weapons cutting into him. He had gotten far better with his PSI over the months, he specialized in his defensive PSI, however he still tried to avoid using his PK Love whenever he could. Lucas remembered seeing his dad and Boney during training; they both had gotten much stronger. Flint, because of his physical strength, was given an axe to wield. Boney was the fast, silent killer, he could sneak up on people before biting their necks off. Not that Lucas had seen Boney doing that to anyone other than dummies.

There were other PSI soldiers here. They too trained with Lucas, using different types of PSI; offensively and defensively. They were some of the toughest soldiers Lucas had to face, but none of them were as bad as the wrath of Kumatora and for that he was thankful. And yet in spite of all this, Lucas wondered just what he was fighting for. He had agreed on becoming a soldier so his remaining family would have what they need and not become cannon fodder, but to actually fight in this war was still something he didn't want. He hated the idea he would have to stab or slice an actual person with a sword; it was one thing to do it to a dummy, but to do it on actual skin and bones… Lucas felt sick at the very thought.

By the time Lucas's training was deemed complete, there was an announcement to the entire military base. Everyone's attention was gathered as someone Lucas knew was important began to speak on the podium.

"We have trained long and hard for this moment. The Eagleland had been cowards as they hide and shudder behind their savior while we continue to grow stronger. They refuse to make the first move, and this war will never end if we do not start. So we shall strike where it will hurt Eagleland the most; the hero's hometown Onett. Onett is the closest town to our border, so that is where we will strike first."

All the soldiers around Lucas gave a loud cheer. Lucas himself just stayed quiet as he didn't want any part of this slaughter.

"Good, now all soldiers are to be on standby until we assign who will join us in the attack on Onett!" The Commander said.

Lucas went to the very back of the room and sat down on a bench, hoping that the Commander wouldn't give him a second thought. After all, just because Lucas's training was complete doesn't mean he's the most reliable and he wasn't even an American anyways.

"Hey, nervous?"

Lucas looked up at who spoke to him. Tom sat down beside him.

"I just hope that I won't get picked," Lucas said. "No offense, but this country hadn't been all that nice to me, so I'd rather not have to fight in this war if I can avoid it."

"Yeah, I got the impression you didn't like fighting," Tom said. "But why _did_ you join if you didn't want to be a part of this?"

"Because I had nowhere else to go… My dad and I had no money, we wouldn't survive long in the wild, and nobody cared about us because we were Nowhere Islanders. Ninten gave us food, shelter and money to sustain us, so how could I turn down such an offer?"

Tom looked down, "I see… you joined out of desperation more than obligation."

"Yeah… but if there's one good thing that came out of it… I've learned what I was capable of," Lucas said with a bitter smile. "Not that I _wanted_ to know that."

"You seem bitter about it."

"Tom… I… can I tell you something?"

"I don't see why not," Tom shrugged.

Lucas nodded, "I… I hated my PSI. In fact I still do, I don't like having this power. A lot of… things happened to me because of it and most of them weren't good either."

"But your PSI is a part of you, that's like saying you hate yourself."

"... Maybe I don't particularly like myself. What's there to like, really?"

"You can't be serious, Lucas," Tom looked at him.

Lucas looked away for moment before he said, "... I just don't like that I have to be a part of this bloodshed war…"

Before Tom could say anything else, a high ranking soldier, a captain, stood in front of the two boys. The captain was holding a helmet, a black coat uniform and an inactive plasma sword.

"S-sir!" Lucas and Tom stood up and saluted.

"Put this on, soldier, you've been called to join the assault on Onett," the captain said, looking directly at Lucas.

"W-what? M-m-me? B-b-but I-" Lucas felt his voice caught in his throat as his heart dropped.

"This is no time to start stuttering, soldier. Put these on and prepare to depart to Onett immediately!" The captain said as he pushed the stuff in Lucas's hands and chest.

Tom gave Lucas a pitiful smile, "Well… guess you better get to the frontlines, Lucas. Don't want to make the Commander angry."

If this were a cartoon show, Lucas was sure this is the part where he passes out.

* * *

 **Eagleland**

"It's been a long month, huh?" Fuel asked, entering the barracks where Ness sat. "How's progress with those plasma swords?"

"They're pretty intuitive," Ness said, holding up one of their hilts. "You want to try it out?"

Fuel grimaced.

"I've never been good with blades," he said. "Even with kitchen knives, I would always find a way to cut myself. You probably don't want to see me with one of those in hand."

"Ah," Ness said with a wink. "Such altruism. Or maybe you just wouldn't want to see the look on Paula's face after she finds out that you sliced the refrigerator in half. I wouldn't blame you."

Fuel's cheeks reddened.

"Was Paula always like that?" he said. "She seems so…"

"Strict?"

"Yeah. Tough. Immovable. I'm not sure it's a good thing."

"No, she wasn't always like that." Ness frowned. "It's happened gradually. I can't really blame her, since I'm not that different."

"Really?" Fuel asked. "You always give off a laid-back aura."

"You clearly haven't seen me around Pirkle." Ness chuckled. "It's hard, though. Being a hero at our age. Most of us are concerned with trying to fit in, maybe find a nice girlfriend. It's not quite the same when you know that the whole world is watching your every step."

"I… guess I could see that," Fuel said. "Although it's hard for me to feel _too_ bad for you."

"Right, because we're wealthy and can basically do what makes us happy. A lot of people in the Nowhere Islands go to sleep every night wondering if pigmasks will capture them in their sleep. We're both lucky and we know it." Ness stared outside the window, tracking all the cars that passed outside. "But it can still make us bitter. It's funny how that works."

At that moment, Paula rushed into the room, slamming the door open. Her pale face and panicked eyes sent a wave of dread through Ness.

"Paula," Fuel said. "Is something wrong?"

 _It takes a lot to rattle her,_ Ness thought. _I doubt that I'll like what I'm about to hear…_

"Do you have your plasma sword?" Paula asked.

"Yeah." Ness held up the hilt. "Are we needed?"

"I would say so. The Americans are attacking Onett."

 _Onett…_ Ness' eyes widened.

"Your family isn't still living there, right?" Paula said.

"No, I sent them somewhere safe. But still…"

"These are people you grew up with," Fuel said, putting a hand on Ness' shoulder. "I understand."

 _At least I'm in a better position than him,_ Ness thought. _His childhood friend Lucas is fighting for the other side. What would that be like, if I had to turn my plasma sword against Paula and Poo?_

"Are you ready, Fuel?"

"I told you, I'm an ace with my rifle."

"That's not what I meant."

After a brief pause, Fuel nodded.

"You can feel free to sit out," Ness said. "I wouldn't want you to fight against people you knew."

"I'm coming," Fuel said, gripping his rifle and standing up. "Let's move out before we waste any more time."

Ness nodded. He knew that Fuel would buckle down one someone questioned him or prodded him. And since Fuel insisted on going into combat himself… well, he couldn't make excuses for himself. He would fight harder, knowing that his pride was on the line.

Since when had Ness gotten so manipulative?

He ran out of the barracks after Paula and Fuel, thinking about Onett. So many memories…

He could only hope that the town was still standing by the time he arrived.


	9. Chapter 8: Casualties

**Connor:** Here we are with another update! Keeping this whole writing thing up throughout college is more difficult than I thought…

 **DarkFoxKit:** I can imagine, with all the extra homework they give to everyone, who has the time to even breathe let alone write?

 **Connor:** Luckily, I do in fact continue to breathe. :) At least I'm not premed like PKTofuMaster haha. The prospect of even more work is slightly sickening…

But at the same time, I'm mostly exaggerating. College is a great experience for me. Shall we answer the reviews?

 **DarkFoxKit:** Yeah, let's get to it.

 **Ninten64** **:** Thanks. Hope you continue to enjoy the chapters to come.

 **YellowTangerines:** **Connor:** Thanks! :) Yeah, my writing in this story is more succinct than I usually try to make it (partially because I don't want to spend over a year on it like I'm doing with Ceres haha). Yeah, this is AU that combines the worlds of Earthbound, Moteher 3, and real life global conflict. And I didn't expect people to see our writing as similar and combining without a few hiccups, so I'm glad to hear that! :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** Our writing are similar? Or maybe it's because we're doing our own writing? Well, I'm glad we're able to blend the two together.

* * *

 **Chapter 8: Casualties**

Ness appeared in the outskirts of Onett alongside Fuel, Paula, and Frank Fly. He saw smoke rising from some of the buildings and froze in terror. People could be _dying_ out there. In all of his travels and struggles against Giygas, he had never faced something like this.

"Ness," Paula said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Your family isn't here, right?"

It almost sounded like she was pleading for him to tell her that they were safe. But in the end, did two people's lives really matter when compared to all of the destruction this war would cause?

"They're fine," Ness said. "What are we going to do about this? How did the Americans manage to get here in the first place?"

"Teleportation," Paula said. "Yeah, we would have seen them if they had taken ships across the Atlantic."

"Then there will be PSI-users here," Fuel said. "We should be careful."

 _PSI-users,_ Ness thought. _Like Lucas and Tom Garrickson. What will I do if I encounter them?_

"Let's go," Frank Fly said, a hungry glare in his eyes. "I don't want to waste more time talking than we have to. Let's kill this American scum."

Frank Fly ran out into the the streets of Onett, a pistol in hand. Like _that_ would do him a lot of good in a full-scale battle.

"This unit is starting to look less than 'elite' with our coordination," Ness said.

"He's running out so that we'll follow," Paula said. "He knows that we recognize how much danger he's throwing himself into. Let's go."

Paula took off after Frank. Ness exchanged a glance with Fuel. The Nowhere Islander's furrowed eyebrows and slight frown gave off the impression that he was thinking furiously. Though it was a cliche, Ness imagined gears spinning inside Fuel's head, synthesizing massive amounts of data like the new electronic computers that were starting to become popular.

 _Bad comparisons between mechanical and digital machines aside, it looks like Fuel might know something that we don't,_ Ness thought.

"You okay?" Ness asked.

"...Yeah," Fuel said. "It just doesn't make sense to expose ourselves now, since we have the advantage of stealth." He shook his head. "Let's hurry and catch up."

Ness sighed and ran after Paula and Frank. Fuel jogged behind Ness, carrying his rifle in both hands. A pair of American soldiers popped out from around the side of a house and raised their guns at Ness. Fuel shot one in the chest before he could even fire at Ness. The American soldier who Fuel hadn't shot fired off a shot at Ness, and the bullet bounced off Ness' chest. Fuel dropped the second soldier with another shot.

"You must have literal abs of steel," Fuel said. "Did you just deflect a bullet with your bare chest?"

"Still hurt," Ness said, increasing his pace to gain distance on Paula and Frank. "Benefits of being a PSI-user."

"I'll say." Fuel ran alongside Ness, not panting nearly as hard as the Onett boy. "It's no wonder that you're so reckless all the time. If I could get hit by a bullet like that and not even slow down, I would probably be rushing in solo right now."

Still, even though Ness could survive normally fatal blows with scratches and bruises, fights were still _scary._ He could last through a lot of punishment, sure, but his PSI-enhanced endurance would only carry him for so long. Eventually, he would collapse under the weight of enough wounds, and _everyone_ would target someone as iconic and dangerous as Ness.

True to his words, another group of soldiers charged towards Ness, firing bullets from rifles. One of them even unloaded on Ness with a machine gun. Fuel picked them off one by one, and it wasn't until the American soldiers all dropped that he realized Fuel had leapt away and hid himself behind a building as partial cover.

"I mean, you don't even dive for cover by instinct," Fuel said. "Look at how many bullets ripped through your shirt. It must have been dozens, and you still look fine."

Ness gulped and nodded, walking over and using the building to support himself. The world started to spin around; Ness blinked and tried to get rid of the sensation.

"Lifeup gamma," Ness said. "I do _not_ want to go through that again. I probably came closer to falling unconscious than you might think."

 _And without Poo to revive me,_ Ness thought. _It might spell a death sentence._

"Then why didn't you _do_ anything?" Fuel asked. "Ugh, we need a better grip of everyone's combat style in the group."

Fuel ran over to the other side of the building and fired off a bullet. Ness didn't even need to hear the scream that followed to know that Fuel had hit his mark.

"I was surprised," Ness said, walking over to Fuel. "And cocky. I should have expected a machine gun to pack a serious punch, but I got too used to being the hero. I'm sorry."

Fuel's eyes flashed with surprise, although he betrayed no other emotion.

"Save it for after the battle," Fuel said. "Let's move."

After passing a couple more buildings, this time trying to stay out of view instead of running straight down the road, Ness spotted Paula and Frank taking cover behind a short wall. Fuel ran up to them and ducked behind the wall without hesitation; Ness followed behind at a significantly slower pace. Seriously, how did Fuel always know exactly what to do in order to stay out of the line of fire? Ness supposed that it came with surviving through the Pigmask Wars.

"Frank," Fuel said, gritting his teeth. "You can't just run off on us like that. Ness took a dozen bullets trying to chase you down."

"Sorry," Frank said, flashing a smile with his perfect, white teeth, "But I had to get this show rolling. My Sharks are probably out there fighting against these invaders as we speak."

"Probably to the south of there, right?" Ness asked. "We're still pretty far north in Onett."

"Quiet!" Paula hissed. "I can sense a pair of PSI-users approaching with my PSI Magnet."

Everyone fell silent. Fuel risked a glance above the wall before dropping his head back below. Ness heard flames erupt from the ground, followed by screams of pain.

"Listen," Paula said. "If they can detect us, we might be in trouble. Ness and I are going to engage them ourselves so that we lead them away from you. Don't show yourselves unless you want to take a PK Freeze and die before you even know what's happening."

"I'll cover you against enemy snipers," Fuel said.

"Whatever." Paula rolled her eyes. "Just don't get yourselves killed, all right?"

She dragged Ness a few yards away alongside the wall.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Just like old times," Ness said.

"Go!" Paula shouted, jumping up on top of the wall.

Ness stood up straight and hurdled himself over the wall. It only came up to his waist, meaning that he didn't even stumble over it. He saw what he assumed were the two American PSI users wearing helmets similar to the Masked Man surrounded by a half-dozen regular soldiers.

The PSI-users stood over the corpses of three men in police uniforms. The cops' bodies were charred in places, rendering them almost unrecognizable. The American soldiers looked at the Onett Police Officers with blank expressions.

 _Oh no you don't!_ Ness thought, blood pounding in his ears. _Those cops may have been obnoxious at times, but there is no way that you get away with killing them in cold blood._

"PK Fire Gamma!" Paula shouted, creating an arc of fire that engulfed the six regular soldiers in fire.

One by one, the American soldiers fell to the ground, leaving only the PSI-users standing. Ness heard a shot coming from Fuel's direction, but he couldn't afford to spare a moment to look over. Ness felt a twinge of guilt at watching the American soldiers go up in flames. These were real people with real lives that he and Paula were snuffing out. But then he remembered the way that they looked at the Onett cops and buried his hesitation.

Ness let out a roar, charging forward and turning his plasma sword on. The two PSI-users looked up and activated their own plasma swords. Ness wished that he could read the expressions under their masks.

"PK Freeze!" Paula shouted, her voice indicating that she was right behind Ness.

Ice encased one of the American PSI-users, freezing him in place. Ness didn't waste an opportunity, lunging towards the frozen PSI-user and slashing at him with his plasma sword. A couple of attacks were all that it took to send the PSI-user to the ground with a charred hole through his chest.

 _Dang,_ Ness thought. _These swords are effective._

They were almost _too_ effective. He had hoped to just knock the PSI-user out, although he supposed that Fuel hadn't shown the American soldiers firing at Ness the same courtesy.

 _That could be me,_ Ness thought, risking one last glance at the dead PSI-user. _Any one of those regular soldiers shot as one of Fuel's afterthoughts could have been me. If I had grown up in America as a normal kid with no psychic powers, would I be fighting for my life right now while PSI-users play with toys beyond their understanding?_

Ness gritted his teeth. He thought that he had rid himself of this baggage when visiting Magicant and attacking his own dark side head-on.

But maybe… Maybe this hesitation wasn't a weakness. Was his conscience trying to tell him something?

Ness didn't have time to think about that now. He lunged towards the second PSI-user, who had already engaged at close range with Paula. The American PSI-user called down lightning that missed Paula by inches before Ness slashed the sword out of his hand.

The PSI-user gasped, looking at his fallen weapon. He turned around to look at Ness in surprise. Even with a helmet on, Ness could tell that the PSI-user was _terrified._ The way that he quivered and shied back like a child about to receive a beating nearly broke Ness' heart.

"Please…" the PSI-user said. Ness realized that the PSI-user's voice didn't belong to a man.

It was the voice of a young girl.

"Please," the girl repeated, her voice shaking. "I sur-"

Paula drove her plasma sword through the girl's chest. The American PSI-user gasped, falling to the ground. Ness nearly barfed as he looked at the burn hole through her torso. He bent down and took off the girl's helmet. After looking past her glazed eyes, he determined that she couldn't have been any older than 12.

He walked over and removed the mask of the other dead PSI-user. This one was another girl who looked about 15. Even though that was the same age as Ness and Paula, he couldn't stop thinking about how young she was.

"Good work," Paula said, picking up the PSI-users' extra laser swords. "It seemed a little unprofessional for them to be out here without a large force for them to assist, but I guess they didn't expect much resistance from a residential town."

"They were just girls," Ness said, looking at their bodies. "We… killed them."

"Ah, save your chivalry for later," Paula said. "Let's go and see if we can stop these Americans from blowing up any more of our buildings and people."

"Not like that," Ness said, gritting his teeth. "It's just that they were so _young._ "

"So are we," Paula pointed out.

"Maybe that's why this whole system is so messed up," Ness said.

"Yo, how much longer are we going to stand out in the open for people to shoot at us?" Frank said, popping his head above the wall. "Let's head to southern Onett. I want to check on my Sharks."

"Sharks?" Fuel said.

"A club," Paula said, walking away and gesturing for the others to follow. "It used to border on being a gang, but it's quieted down in the past couple of years."

"Still, a lot of them are brave and proud," Frank said. "I fear that they'll fight in obviously suicidal circumstances."

Even the fear and sorrow on Frank's face looked fabricated. The man always seemed to hide his thoughts behind a mask, and normally a smiley one. Maybe Ness was reading too much into subtle cues. Perhaps Frank just didn't know how to show worry in the normal ways.

"I guess we're heading after Paula," Fuel said, his eyes narrowing. "What is it with people running off in this group?"

Ness shrugged. Fuel and Frank hustled after Paula while Ness trailed behind. Right as Ness was about to pass through the buildings that Paula went between, he took a look back at the dead girls' corpses.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "Sorry that I couldn't save you."

Couldn't save them? No, that wasn't right.

"I'm sorry that I murdered you," Ness amended.

* * *

Lucas was staring out to sea as the ship he was on was making its way to the border between America and Eagleland. He hated this with every fiber of his being. For once Lucas had wished he didn't take Ninten's offer back then, maybe he'd be better off living in the wild with his father and dog, at least then they wouldn't be forced to murder people for a country that didn't even treat them well.

Lucas was now wearing a weird helmet that had some kind of block that covered one of his eyes, and he felt like one of those Pigmasks with the uniform he was wearing, even though Tom said he looked cool in the black jacket and orange pants. The other soldiers around him wore the same thing; it was hard to tell who was who underneath the helmet. Lucas didn't see any animals on board, so Boney wouldn't be a part of this, and he couldn't tell if his father was here.

Someone walked up beside Lucas and said, "Hey. How are you holding up?"

Lucas looked up at this someone, feeling anger and sadness welling up inside. "... Ninten… Commander… why did you send me out to the frontlines like this? I'm the new recruit, and I didn't come from America."

Ninten gave a sigh before he said, "I didn't want to send you out in the frontlines like this, especially just to slaughter innocent people in a small town, but the higher ups wanted to test you and a few others who came from other places. They wanted to test your loyalty and see how you fight."

Lucas didn't know who the higher ups were or why they wanted to watch him suffer like this, but he knew he already dug in too deep to stop now.

"If you don't want to kill anyone, that's fine," Ninten said. "But you have to at least try to fight. Otherwise the soldiers will question your loyalty and viability."

Lucas get the feeling that being questioned by soldiers would mean death or a terrible punishment. He knew he'd have to get his hands dirty eventually, he had just hoped it wasn't so soon.

"There's Onett now. You better get ready, Lucas," Ninten said.

Lucas watched as the ship came close to the town. Lucas could hear people screaming and running. He heard someone trying to speak to the Commander.

"Please spare us. Why do you have to attack us in cold blood?"

The Commander looked out at the people and said, "It was your people who attacked first. We are here to demonstrate what happens if you cross us."

Lucas bit his lip. He was the one who 'attacked' the club if the Commander was referring to that, but it was possible he might've meant a different event before he and his dad even came to America.

Ninten was acting awfully cold to these people, Lucas wasn't sure if this was a mask Ninten had to wear as the Commander or if this is how he really felt towards people of Eagleland.

"Oh yeah? If you think we're going to let you scumbags take our home like that, then you're getting a knife to the throat!" A person wearing a black coat shouted defiantly.

Lucas saw these people with skateboards, hoola hoops and pogo sticks all standing down in defiance. They reminded him of the Black Blood Gang in Ellay, and that made him shrink back a bit.

"If you don't surrender now and be captured, you will die," Ninten said coldly.

"We'll tear you Americans apart!" They cried out.

Lucas was surprised to see tanks of their own was coming into the small town called Onett. It was obvious they had come prepared themselves. Though why the people didn't evacuate knowing it was about to become a warzone would be beyond him if he hadn't faced a similar situation with the Pigmasks. He and his father would rather stand for their home or die trying than to run away… that mindset had changed over time obviously.

Ninten turned back to the soldier and said, "They have tanks and machine guns as well as stubborn teenagers. Take them down."

With that said, the soldiers jumped off the ship and ran towards the tanks and the gang with little hesitation. Except for Lucas, who followed the soldiers but slowed down as they reached the town's premises. In the chaos, he looked around to see the soldiers using their weapons to fight the opposing ones, but a few of them used those plasma swords to easily slice through the people. Lucas had been given one of those swords and he knew they only respond to PSI, so there were about four PSI users on the battlefield including himself but excluding Ninten.

One of the gang rebels with the skateboard came rolling at him with a cocky smile on his face. Lucas gasped as he backed away, but they were coming in too fast, and one of the tanks was coming in his direction.

" _You can't hesitate on the battlefield. The enemy will see the hesitation and they can and will take advantage of it."_ Lucas heard Kumatora's voice in his memory.

Lucas grabbed onto the hilt of his inactive plasma sword, but had not yet poured his PSI into it.

"What's the matter, punk? Too afraid to face a real man?" The rebel sneered. "Back in the old days, Frank worked me hard to face danger head on. We were real tight yeah, too bad he left. But at least I can take my anger out on you!"

Lucas tried to get away from the rebel, but he slammed his skateboard and himself into Lucas, causing the boy to fall back. The rebel held out a pocket knife and rushed at Lucas to finish him off.

"Now DIE!"

Lucas let instinct take over as he shoved the plasma sword in front of him and allowed his PSI to activate it. In a split second the sword shielded Lucas from the rebel's knife and the knife itself disintegrated into dust.

"What the!?" The rebel jumped away.

Lucas stood up and frowned. He never wielded a sword this dangerous before.

There was a loud explosion not too far away. The explosion didn't sound like gunfire or cannon fire. Lucas wasn't sure what to make of it, but it sounded almost like a musical kind explosion… which didn't make much sense. It almost threw Lucas off balance.

Then the tank came in closer to him and fired. Lucas gasped in pain as he felt his body torn through by a giant metal ball. Luckily, during his training he learned about the psionic stall, something PSI users can use to keep themselves from death right away, but if they don't do something to heal themselves quickly then they'll die anyways.

"Hah! Take that!" He heard the skateboarder boasting.

Lucas concentrated on Lifeup, using the beta version. His body mended and covered the wounds. The skateboarder stared with his jaw dropping.

"What!? H-how!?" Then realization came to his eyes. "... You're… a PSI user…"

Lucas looked up at him before noticing an arrow coming from behind, "Look out!"

But the rebel only had time to gasp before the arrow shot through his chest. Lucas's eyes widen as the rebel fell to the ground, life leaving his body.

"You…" a voice said with a growl not too far away. "I'll tear your head off and make you eat it!"


	10. Chapter 9: Vengeance

**DarkFoxKit:** And here we are. It's been quiet these past few weeks, hasn't it?

 **Connor:** It's always loud at college. :P But yeah, the EB fandom's hitting a bit of a slump… hopefully we can pick ourselves back up (although I'm leaving this fandom after I'm done with Ceres so I might be part of the problem haha).

 **DarkFoxKit:** I wonder why EB's been slowing down lately… Well anyways, I guess we should get to the reviews.

 **KookyMango:** **Connor:** Hey, don't worry about it! And it's fine to be excited for battles. :) Yes, the feels may not be as real as in one of PKTofuMaster's stories where they stretch out for 14k words at a time, but we do try to focus a lot on characters' emotional sides (not that other stories are wrong for _not_ doing that; it's just our preferred style of writing). And yes, we'll see in this chapter. :) As for the Masked Man… I don't want to give anything away just yet.

 **Ninten64** **: DarkFoxKit:** Heh, if they would die, it wouldn't be now. And if you count Frank as a main character… well… heh. ^^' Anyways, Ness and Lucas finally meet here.

* * *

 **Chapter 9:** **Vengeance**

"Paula," Ness said, running up and grabbing her by the arm. "You have to stop going off on your own like this."

"I'm not on my own, am I?" Paula said, shaking off his hand and sneaking around the side of a building. "I knew that you would follow me."

Ness looked over at Fuel, who frowned at Paula. Ness pictured himself in Fuel's place. He had survived the pigmask wars by following orders and working as a team, and now some bigshot PSI-users thought to put all of them in danger with stupid stunts? No wonder Fuel was irked.

"That's the arcade over there," Frank said, pointing to a yellow building in the near distance. "My Sharks often hang out around there. They could be in trouble."

"So what's our objective here, anyway?" Fuel asked. "Does anyone truly think that we can stop the Americans here? The Eagleish army is nowhere in sight. At best, we could shoot down a few fighter jets."

Ness exchanged a look with Paula. What _were_ they trying to accomplish?

"I know that this place means a lot to you," Fuel said. "But if we're fighting without any real hope of victory, we'll probably end up causing _more_ destruction and chaos to this pretty little town. Sometimes, you have to learn when to abandon a lost cause."

As someone who fought in an undermanned and underarmed resistance against the pigmasks, Fuel probably had to retreat many more times than he would have liked. Ness was inclined to trust his judgment.

"As much as I hate to say it, I think that Fuel's right," Paula said. "We can't fight all of the American PSI-users and soldiers that they brought along. We should fall back and wait for our army to arrive."

"Right," Fuel said. "Once the army comes, we'll actually have a chance. Ness, do you know how many people a PSI-user can bring along when they teleport?"

"I don't know," Ness said. "I've never tried it with groups bigger than four or five."

"Well, the Americans probably know, and I'm guessing that they teleported in all of the soldiers that they could. It's still not nearly enough to deal with what we can throw at them if we work with the rest of the military. They'll have to teleport back to America."

"Or," Frank said. "They could teleport to a different Eagleish town and sack that."

Silence fell over the group.

"This isn't an actual military campaign," Ness realized. "It's _geurilla warfare._ We'll never be able to catch them."

"Right," Frank said, drawing his knives. "So let's kill them now."

"We still can't win," Fuel said. "Would you have us throw our lives away?"

"I agree," Ness said. "We pull out right now."

Paula nodded.

"Let's wait until they make more moves to take such a big risk," she said. "We have no idea what to expect from these Americans."

"Sorry," Frank said, shaking his head. "But I can't abandon my Sharks like that."

Frank Fly ran off towards the arcade, drawing a pistol and shooting a nearby American soldier in the leg. Fuel cursed and Paula let out a sigh.

"Are you two going to chase after him?" Fuel said. "Because honestly, I wouldn't."

"He does need to learn how to follow orders," Paula said. "But we can't abandon him to die. We'll have a firm talk with him once we get back to Fourside."

" _If_ we get back to Fourside," Fuel said.

"You can feel free to sit this one out if you want," Ness said.

"No, I'm in this with you. I'll do my best to cover you from enemy snipers. Let's go before Frank gets himself picked off."

Paula and Ness ran after Frank Fly while Fuel followed several paces behind. Ness heard a couple shots from Fuel that took out American soldiers he hadn't even seen. He reminded himself to thank Pirkle for adding the Nowhere Islander to the team.

Ness turned a corner to reach the front of the arcade. Frank stood around the corner, his body stiff as he gazed upon a dead person that Ness recognized as one of the Sharks. An American PSI-user wearing one of their standard helmets stood over the dead body, looking confused.

"Another PSI-user!" Paula shouted, rounding the corner. Her eyes widened as she looked at the dead Shark and the PSI-user standing over him. "...Oh."

For a moment, nobody made a sound.

"You…" Frank said, his voice little more than a growl. "I'll tear your head off and make you eat it!"

Ness didn't even have time to think about the lack of logic in Frank's threat before the former gang leader lunged at the American PSI-user. Frank fired off a shot with his pistol, taking the PSI-user in the chest. The PSI-user seemed to wake up from a trance, stumbling backwards and pouring energy into his plasma sword, making it flare up to life.

"That little gadget won't save you!" Frank said, firing another shot at the PSI-user's knee.

The PSI-user nearly tripped as he clutched his knee in pain. He used Lifeup to heal himself from the bullet wounds Frank had given him.

 _This guy's a novice,_ Ness thought. _Even with PSI, he's no match for Frank._

Ness looked over at Paula, searching in her expression for guidance. Paula's face betrayed little emotion, which made Ness feel even more alarmed. It didn't seem right to kill someone so new to combat, but should they put Frank's life in danger to spare him?

"Please," the PSI-user said. "I didn't kill him!"

"Lies!"

Frank Fly lunged forward, stabbing the PSI-user in the arm. The PSI-user slashed at Frank with a surprisingly clean stroke, sizzling as it grazed by Frank's side. Perhaps this PSI-user had training but was overwhelmed by an actual battle.

"Is that the best you've got?" Frank asked. "I could kill you in my sleep!"

Frank slashed at the PSI-user from the side, who blocked it with his plasma sword and melted the steel off Frank's knife. Frank dropped the dagger and rammed a knee into the PSI-user's stomach, sending him stumbling backwards. Frank leveled his pistol and shot the PSI-user in the chest.

The PSI-user cried out in pain, tripping and falling flat on his bottom. His mask tumbled off, revealing a face that Ness recognized.

"Lucas!" Fuel said.

"Lifeup," Lucas said, scrambling to get back on his feet. "Fuel. Are you…?"

Ness didn't know how Lucas intended to finish that sentence. Frank knocked Lucas to the ground a second time and kicked his plasma sword away.

"Frank!" Fuel said. "Stop it, please! That's my friend."

Frank put a pistol up to Lucas' head.

"He murdered one of _my_ friends," Frank said. "That makes him my enemy."

Lucas whimpered.

"Try anything funny," Frank said. "And this bullet goes straight into your brain."

Lucas gulped. Fuel raised his rifle and pointed it at Frank.

"Let. Him. Go." Fuel's steely voice scared Ness more than his rifle did.

"You would point a gun at someone from your own squad?" Frank asked.

Out of the corner of his eye, Ness could see American soldiers rushing towards the arcade. Paula called fire from the earth to halt their tracks.

"Dang," Frank told Lucas. "I would love to interrogate you, kid, but it looks like we're in a dangerous spot. Any last words before you join my friend that you killed?"

"Please," Lucas said. "I-"

"That's enough," Frank said. "I thought that you would go out like a man, not some sniveling child. Goodb-"

Fuel fired his rifle, lodging a bullet in Frank's skull. Frank Fly slumped over and fell to the ground. Lucas looked at his dead captor with wide eyes, turning back towards Fuel. The next moment, he jumped to his feet started running away.

"Let's go," Fuel said, motioning for Ness and Paula to follow him. "More American soldiers are coming."

Paula took a step towards Lucas, her eyes burning with rage.

"Come on!" Ness said, grabbing onto Paula's arm. "We need to get out of here."

Paula let out a low growl and ducked away after Fuel. They ran for a few minutes before hiding behind a remote building. Ness let out a sigh of relief. There was no way that the Americans would think to look for them here. Maybe they could finally catch a breather.

Paula summoned her plasma sword and held it at Fuel's throat, pinning him to the wall of the building.

"Listen here, Fuel," Paula said through gritted teeth. "I didn't question you when you pointed a rifle at Frank because I figured that you were a goddamn _professional._ I assumed that you wanted to put the pressure on him to let Lucas go but that you would never _ever_ fire a killing shot at one of our own. Looks like I got played for a fool."

Paula moved the plasma sword inches closer to Fuel's neck. The Nowhere Islander stared her down despite the fact that a flick of Paula's wrist could end his life.

"Well?" Paula asked. "Are you just going to _stand_ there?"

"I have the impression that anything I say will make the situation worse," Fuel said. "But I wasn't going to let my friend die when he didn't even do anything wrong."

"So you _murder_ one of our own?"

"Paula," Ness said. "We can work this out later. "Take your laser sword away from Fuel."

"Ness," Paula said. "You have to be kidding me. I'm pretty sure that this qualifies as treason under Eagleish law. I don't think that anyone would care if I let my hand slip and avenged Frank's death."

"I'm sorry," Fuel said. "But it had to be done. He was going to get us all killed."

 _Frank didn't seem like a professional soldier,_ Ness admitted to himself. _Why would Pirkle put him on our squad?_

"You shot him because he was going to kill your friend," Paula said. "But news flash: he was my friend too! So if killing people for your friends is acceptable, then maybe I shouldn't feel bad about taking your head off its shoulders!"

"Paula," Ness said. "Take the sword away from Fuel's throat."

"No," Paula said. "At the very least, I'll see him locked up for betraying his country. It's disgusting that we let people like him into our borders and then they repay us by shooting our soldiers."

"If it were Jeff with a gun to his head," Ness said, "What would you do?"

"Shut up!" Paula said. "Jeff's _dead_ because of these Americans!"

"But if it were…"

"I said shut up!"

Ness summoned his plasma sword and pointed it at Paula.

"We'll figure out what to do later when we're not in an active battle," Ness said. "Let Fuel go."

"You can't understand how this feels," Paula said. "Frank was such a sweet person under his sleazy exterior. He had hopes and dreams just like us. He wanted to help the world. To see him die in front of my eyes and watch my best friend tell me to let his murderer go…"

"I'm sorry," Ness said. "Maybe I can't understand how it feels. But I know that we don't need anyone else to die today. We'll work it out later. I promise that we'll come to some compromise, Paula."

Paula slowly lowered her plasma sword and pointed it at Ness instead.

"It's hard for me to see you as a friend when you're pointing a deadly weapon at me," Paula said. "Was I the only one who _cared_ about Frank?" She took a deep breath. "Ugh, I can't cry. Not here, not now. I need to… be strong."

"Paula…"

"Don't act like I suddenly matter to you," Paula said. "It's fine if you want to take his side, but don't pretend like you're some neutral party. You're friends with Fuel and I was friends with Frank. It's easy to tell whose side we would take."

"It doesn't have to be us against them," Ness said.

"Well, Fuel just made it us against them when he _murdered_ my friend!" Paula shouted. She glared at the Nowhere Islander. "The _only_ reason you're alive right now is that I want to spare Ness' feelings. Is that understood?"

Fuel nodded, his expression unreadable. Ness couldn't imagine that he was actually grateful after Paula held a plasma sword to his throat.

"So I guess I'll go off and kill the other person who caused Frank's death," Paula said. "Goodbye."

Paula dashed out from behind the building, running back towards the central streets of Onett.

"Someone else caused Frank's death?" Ness said.

"Oh no," Fuel said, his eyes widening. "She means Lucas. I have to…"

"Stop her?" Ness said. "Fuel, the Americans will shoot you on sight and she'll probably attack either of us if we follow her. I'll follow behind at a distance to see if I can talk some sense into her, but you have to stay _here._ All right?"

"I promise," Fuel said. "I know that it's hard to trust me, but I won't interfere with a direct order."

"Tell me, Fuel," Ness said, turning away. "If I had ordered you to shoot Lucas, would you have done it?"

"Yes," Fuel said. The lack of hesitation in his voice surprised Ness.

"You'd kill your friend just because I told you to?"

"That's how I've been trained, Ness," Fuel said. "I've only survived this long because I've learned to follow orders."

Ness shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"You're a good soldier, Fuel," Ness said. " _Too_ good of a soldier."

Ness didn't turn back before following after Paula.

* * *

Lucas was sitting at an empty house near a cave. It was further away from Onett and the war zone. He didn't want to be a part of this… this… slaughter. The Eagleland people were trying to fight back, but it's clear they weren't trained for battle. Many of them were killed by the American soldiers and PSI-users mercilessly. Lucas didn't even kill anyone, and yet the murderous and rage look in that man with the knives and that girl… there's something about that girl that disturbed Lucas.

Lucas decided to hide out here until the whole thing blows over. He hoped Ninten didn't find him out here, or he would be severely punished for not participating in the battle. Lucas hated fighting, he always did, and he only wanted to fight for self defense but not to kill anyone. He could've killed that rebel from earlier with his sword, but he held back because he didn't want to hurt anyone, but a lot of good that did since a stray arrow killed him and Lucas was accused of being the murderer. Not only that, but Fuel saved his butt from that man. Lucas suppose he could've incapacitated that man with PK Love or make it so the man would hurt himself by putting up a Counter, but Lucas was too in shock to have thought about doing that.

But Fuel… last time Lucas had seen him was when he went off to fight against the Pigmask army with the rebellion, but he hadn't seen Fuel since then. Lucas knew Fuel didn't die, but he didn't know what happened to him… until now. Fuel was working with the Eagleland, and if Lucas remembered right, he's been trained to be a deadly soldier who followed orders. That's one of the reasons why Lucas never wanted to join the rebellion; they made _sure_ you were a loyal soldier. If they ordered you to kill your family, you'd do it, no matter the cost. That was something Lucas didn't want to be a part of, he would rather suffer under the Pigmask's thumb than to be turned into a soldier who'd kill his own father because he was ordered to.

Thinking about it now, this wasn't any better, but at least Kumatora and Ninten never forced him to be a perfect soldier whose brain is hardwired into following orders. Lucas knew he was being a sniveling coward by hiding out here like this, but he just couldn't stand all the killing and deaths. He almost wished Flint and Boney were here, but he was also glad they weren't. If they saw him now he would be too ashamed to show his face to anyone ever again. Lucas just wanted to curl up and cry here forever.

"Crying? I suppose I should have expected this," A harsh feminine voice hissed.

Surprised, Lucas snapped his head up to see who was here. He quickly rubbed his blurry wet eyes to see that girl who was with that man with the knives from earlier. She looked ticked… no… she looked murderous. Lucas knew he was in trouble, especially when he saw her finger sparking with PSI. She was a PSI user and she was _not_ on his side.

"Listen, kid. I know that none of this was really your fault, that you're just a soldier trained to follow orders. But since Ness won't let me kill your friend Fuel..." the girl hissed as she pointed her sparking finger at him. "PK Fire!"

Lucas jumped to his feet and put up a PSI Shield. A purple barrier cloaked Lucas's body as it absorbed most of the fire's impact, though it still hurt and burn. Thankfully Lucas was used to dealing with PK Fire since Kumatora liked using it on him a lot during training.

"Please hear me out!" Lucas shouted out. "I didn't kill anyone! That guy's friend was killed by a stray arrow!"

"Hmm? And who uses an _arrow_ at this day and age?" She growled. "I can respect fighting for what you believe in, but I have no pity for someone who hides behind a wall of lies. You're not a soldier after all, are you? You're something far less."

Lucas knew he couldn't reason with her. Seeing her eyes, he knew nothing he says would change her mind. To her, even if he hadn't killed that rebel it didn't matter because that guy with the knives, whom Lucas assumed is a friend of her's, was killed because of him. Fuel shot that man because of _him_.

The girl was done talking. She held up a plasma sword. Lucas didn't have time to question why she had one of those since it was supposed to be an American only weapon as she charged at him. Lucas may not be the best at utilizing PSI, but when it comes to avoiding attacks he was the master. The boy moved around her strikes, she was slashing at him aggressively but gracefully. It was clear she had some experience with a sword or something similar.

The more Lucas dodged her, the faster she swung in hopes of hitting him. Lucas managed to move around her and strike her with his own plasma sword, though he didn't cut her too deep. The girl hissed but jumped at him again. Lucas sidestepped her attacks before bringing up his plasma sword to block her swings. The girl put more force into her sword. Lucas struggled to push her away, but she was a lot stronger than she looked.

The girl had one of her hands let go of her plasma sword's hilt before shoving it into Lucas's chest. Lucas only had time to gasp as she electrified her hand.

"PK Thunder!"

Lucas yelped in agony as it felt like a thousand knives going through his system. His hold on his plasma sword wavered as she shocked him. Thankfully his PSI Shield kept him from falling unconscious, but it didn't stop him from falling to one of his knees.

Knowing he couldn't hold her plasma sword like this, Lucas dropped to the ground and rolled away just as she brought her sword down into the grass. Lucas was glad his body didn't go numb from her electric assault, and he got back on his feet. The girl ran at him again.

"PK Freeze!" She shot out ice crystals at him, probably hoping to freeze him in place.

Lucas yelped as he tried to dodge the ice crystals. He managed to dodge some of them, but more than half was able to freeze his body. His PSI Shield broke after being assaulted by so many PSI. Lucas struggled to get his body out of the ice, but the girl was already walking towards him with the plasma sword in her grip. She glared murderously at him.

"I would say that I'm sorry… but I'm not sure if there's room in my heart left for the enemy," she hissed as she raised her sword.

Lucas's eyes widened as she brought down the sword to finish him. He felt his PK Love travelling through his body before it exploded, shattering the ice and pushing the girl back. Lucas, feeling his PK Love coursing through his body, ran at the girl before he jumped and kicked her in the cheek with his foot sparking a blue hexagon. The girl was sent flying into the abandoned house and caused it to collapse. Lucas wasn't sure what just happened, but it seemed his PK Love enhanced his kick.

Of course if this was a regular human, the person would've either been dead or incapacitated, however this person was a PSI-user. She was far from finished. Her clothes looked a little torn up, but she was fine otherwise, probably from Lifeup or something. She held her plasma sword in an iron grip before she lunge at Lucas again.

"Paralysis," she hissed.

Lucas's body suddenly went numb. The boy couldn't move a muscle. The girl was not going to let him get away this time. Lucas's gasped as she was about to stab him.

"PK Freeze!"

The girl was hit by unexpected ice crystals and her body was frozen in ice. Lucas still couldn't move much with the paralysis, but he recognized that voice.

"I come out here to track down our little newbie and I find this little girl trying to kill him."

The figure walked up to the frozen girl. Lucas had never been so glad to see pink hair.

"Looks like I found one of Eagleland's PSI-users. Maybe I should put her out of her misery," Kumatora said. "After all, only a coward would go after an inexperienced soldier."

"K-Ku…" Lucas could hardly move his mouth to speak.

The girl that was trapped in the ice melted it with her own PK Fire. She glared at both Kumatora and the still paralyzed Lucas.

It was clear the girl was not done yet. She aimed her hand at Kumatora, "PK Fire!"

This fire was much stronger than the last one, perhaps in a gamma or omega level. Lucas couldn't move away from it, so Kumatora had to grab onto him and jumped. The fire destroyed the rest of the abandoned house, burning it into ash.

"Geez Lucas, what did you do to piss off this girl?" Kumatora said as she put her hand on his chest. "Healing."

Lucas felt something cool going through his numb body, restoring feeling into him.

"She blames me for her friend's death," Lucas explained when he was able to speak again. "She's out for my blood, Kumatora."

"Wow, so this is about vengeance, huh? What a petty girl. People die in a war, you can't go crying over it," Kumatora grumbled.

"But he died because of me," Lucas said.

"I don't care why or how he died, he's dead, no use in trying to get yourself killed over someone who's dead."

It was blunt, but Kumatora's logic did make sense.

The girl hissed as she pointed her sparking hand at them again. "PK Thunder!"

Lighting shot out from her hand. Lucas braced himself for a nasty shock.

"PSI Shield Epsilon!"

A white barrier surrounded Lucas and Kumatora, and it easily absorbed the PK Thunder. It wasn't like Lucas's PSI Shield, it didn't just dull down the damage it absorbed it altogether.

"Is there a problem here, Paula?"

Lucas flinched when Ninten himself came up beside him. He called the angry girl 'Paula', that must be her name.

Paula turned her murderous glare at Ninten. She looked at Kumatora and at Lucas, making the poor boy shrink back. She may be a crazy, psychopathic, vengeful PSI-user, but even she must see the logic in a losing situation with both Kumatora and Ninten, the Commander of the American soldiers, here.

"There is a problem that you cannot fix. It is a problem that you would fight me for. And trust me, I know that I'm quite outmatched... But you haven't seen the last of me." Paula growled at Lucas before turning away and running off.

"Hmph, what an emotional psychopath." Kumatora rolled her eyes. "She lost her friend, boo-hoo. This is war, going after an inexperienced soldier just because he happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time is just a petty and coward move."

"I can't say I blame her," Ninten said. "Losing a friend could make anyone call for vengeance. Still, I would rather not have one of my PSI soldiers be murdered on my watch."

Lucas looked down, knowing Ninten and Kumatora likely knew why he was way out here far away from the war zone. He wasn't fit to be a soldier.

"Lucas, it's not safe to be here on your own, especially since you're still too inexperienced to fight off against the Eagleland's real warriors, like Paula. You're lucky you survived as long as you did against her," Ninten said in a serious tone. "If Kumatora hadn't tracked you down with her PSI Magnet, you'd be dead by now. Paula may look pretty and petite, but she is ruthless in the battlefield."

Lucas gave a nod, having just experienced first hand just how ruthless that girl could be.

"Kumatora, stay with Lucas. I worry that Paula may come back and bring in the big guns," Ninten said.

"You mean Ness?" Kumatora frowned.

"Yeah. Fighting her by herself is one thing, but if she brings in Ness than Lucas here can kiss his life goodbye," Ninten said. "If she does bring in Ness, make sure you get away as fast as you can and contact me at once, understood?"

"Yes sir," Kumatora saluted. "Looks like you're stuck with me for the time being, kid."

Lucas was relieved that he wouldn't be alone, but he also didn't like that he'd have to be a part of the battle after all. Still, he was more grateful to have Kumatora with him after that Paula girl tried to go after his head. If Paula was this bad, he didn't want to know how bad Ness would be. With the way Ninten talked about him, Ness sounded almost unstoppable.

"Come on, kid, we shouldn't stay here," Kumatora said to Lucas. "That fire's gonna attract the Eagleland's soldiers. They'll be swarming this place at any minute."

"O-okay," Lucas said.

Kumatora nodded before she ran ahead and Lucas hurried after her. Lucas almost wished he did die by Paula's hands, or even earlier, by the Mecha Drago, at least then Paula would've never met him and he wouldn't feel guilty for being responsible for her friend's death. Fuel was his enemy despite being friends back in Tazmily Village. Fuel may have saved his life, but Lucas knew if he was ordered he won't hesitate to kill him. Lucas wasn't sure if he could handle more, he never wanted to hurt or anger anyone, but it looks like the universe just really hated him.


	11. Chapter 10: Aftermath

**Connor: Hey, everyone! Here we are with another chapter! :) we're nearing the mid-way mark of this story; this won't be something super long with dozens of plot arcs.**

 **DarkFoxKit: Yeah, it's just something we were doing as a side project. And because we work separate, I should warn you now not to expect too many interactions between Lucas and Ness.**

 **Connor: That's right. It may suck that the main characters won't interact too much, but it would suck** _ **more**_ **if we ended up ruining each other's characters by writing about the other person's main character. As you've seen, though, their actions still affect each other. :)**

 **DarkFoxKit: Anyways, let's get on with the AN!**

 **YellowTangerines:** **Connor:** Heh, creating emotional scenes is easier than you might expect. Yeah, even the characters struggle with the age component of the war (mostly Ness; Paula thinks it's a shame but doesn't worry too much about it). But this is what happens when good times fade and tensions increase. Ah, thanks for pointing out my typo. :) I'm, uh… not actually in charge of the document on , but I would fix it if I could! Thanks for your support! :D

 **DarkFoxKit:** I'm glad you enjoyed the scene with Lucas and Kumatora.

 **Random Reviewer** **: DarkFoxKit:** Err… well Paula's been through a lot.

Connor:

Yeah, she's not the most likable character and she knows it (you'll probably be frustrated with her again this chapter) but I hope that you can see why she acts the way she does. :)

 **Ninten64** **: DarkFoxKit:** Poor Lucas was just there at the wrong time. It's cool you think the fight between Paula and Kumatora was awesome, even though it was really brief. If this were an anime, there would be a lot of PSI fights, but since this is a written story there won't be too much of that here.

 **Karnelian:** **Connor:** Yep, it's a habit of mine to kill of characters that I don't really click with. :P Thanks for your support! :D

 **DarkFoxKit:** Lucas was in a really bad spot at a really bad time. Poor boy didn't want to hurt anyone. Thank you for loving this story. ^^

* * *

 **Chapter 10: Aftermath**

Lucas was with Kumatora back in Merryville. The attack on Onett was compromised when the real army of Eagleland showed up. They may not have PSI but they were still a force to reckon with. Lucas believed it's because they were pushed to a corner, and when something even as small as a mouse is pushed to a corner that's when they're the most dangerous. Ninten had any American PSI user on the battlefield that could teleport to get their soldiers out of there, they had accomplished what they needed to at the moment, no need to suffer any unnecessary lost.

It's only been a few days since the attack on Onett. Lucas was relieved that Ninten hadn't said anything about his cowardice and abandoning the battlefield, perhaps it was because it was as Ninten said before they arrived to Onett; it was more of a field test for the newbie like him. Lucas hoped this meant he didn't have to join the battlefield anymore.

Of course a hope like that was just wishful thinking. Being a PSI user meant he was invaluable to the battlefield.

"Well now you went and done it," Kumatora said. "Ninten had to argue with the higher ups about your performance in Onett."

Lucas looked down. He knew while Ninten didn't say anything to him about his cowardice, obviously he'd have to report his less than stellar performance to the more important people of this operation.

"What's going to happen to me?" Lucas asked. "If they kick me out, would Dad and Boney go on to fight without me?"

The pink haired PSI user shook her head, "I don't think they'd kick you out, you're too invaluable. I think maybe they might either assign you a different kind of assignment or…"

Lucas looked up to her when she hesitated. "Or what?" he got an uneasy feeling.

Kumatora sheepishly rubbed the back of her head, "Well… they would do what they did with other soldiers who didn't want to fight; they'll train and break you until you become a loyal soldier who will follow orders to the t."

Lucas's blood left his face, he remembered seeing Fuel becoming like that and it honestly scared him. He didn't want to be like that.

"But I wouldn't worry about it, Ninten would prefer you didn't become a mindless soldier who only thinks of orders," Kumatora said.

Lucas wanted to be relieved about that, but if he didn't do what he should do the next time they had to fight, chances are they'll try to break him into the perfect soldier and he didn't want that. The boy couldn't help but think about that girl Paula and Fuel. Fuel had shot someone from his own side to save him, would that mean Fuel would be punished for treason?

"Kumatora… Fuel killed someone from his side," Lucas said. "To save me… what would happen to him?"

Kumatora frowned, "I'm not sure, it depends on what Eaglelanders do about their own men murdering each other, it could be considered treason. The punishment could be sentenced to prison, or worse; death."

Lucas felt his heart dropped. He caused Paula enough grief to go on a vengeful rampage and he got his friend either locked up or killed. Lucas knew war would mean tragedy, but to experience the guilt like this was a whole different thing. He didn't want the guilt or responsibility of killing others, so he ran away from the battle, and yet he ended up hurting a childhood friend the most out of it and is now on a dangerous PSI user's hit list.

"How did this happen?" Lucas found himself asking. He knew how it happened, but he still couldn't believe it did. "Not only am I a coward on the battlefield, I still end up causing tragedy."

"That's what war is, Lucas," Kumatora said softly. "You can't avoid some kind of tragedy or vengeful hungry people for killing the ones they love. Even if you didn't do it, misunderstandings are dangerously easy to have while in the heat of battle. People don't have time to think when they're fighting for their lives, they can only process what they can see right then and there and build on it."

Lucas knew all too well how easy it was since that guy Paula called Frank thought he killed someone close to him, but that got Lucas thinking another oddity. "That girl, Paula called me a liar when I told her what really happened. She didn't believe me because I told her an arrow of all things killed Frank's friend."

Kumatora raised an eyebrow, "I can see why she would have trouble believing you. Nobody really uses an arrow at this day and age, we mostly prefer our fancy guns, bazookas and grenades."

"But it's true!" Lucas said. "There really was an arrow, it pierced through that rebel's chest and that's what killed him! I don't know who shot him or why they used an arrow, but I can only tell you what I saw. And unfortunately I was standing right next to him when it happened and Frank must've saw me right after he died."

"But if it was an arrow, why didn't anyone else see it? Surely it would've still been in the body after it struck," Kumatora asked.

Lucas shook his head, "That's the confusing part. The arrow just disappeared after he died."

"What? How does an arrow just disappear?" Kumatora frowned.

"I don't know… maybe it wasn't a normal arrow?" Lucas asked. "I think that's why nobody else saw it."

"Hmm… it could've been a PSI arrow…" Kumatora said.

"PSI…?"

"PSI can take on many different forms depending on who or how it's used, an arrow shaped PSI isn't impossible. I can turn my PK Fire into a fiery spear if I wanted to," Kumatora explained.

Lucas thought about that, being able to manipulate one's PSI into a weapon. He remembered when he kicked Paula that his PK Love was enhancing his kick. If he could do that, then an arrow made of PSI wouldn't be all that farfetched after all. He wondered if he could do that again.

Lucas used to hate to touch his own PSI, he was uncomfortable to have anything to do with PSI, but after months of training and using it, he had grown used to it. He still didn't like it, but despising it wasn't going to do him any favors. At least he didn't lose control anymore. But he wanted to test this out. The blond haired boy focused and reached into his core, feeling the warmth of his PK Love. Lucas didn't really know much about PK Love, just that it was apparently a rare PSI to have, that it was powerful and only people with this ability can awaken the Dragon that was said to be sleeping under Nowhere Islands. The power itself was always a mystery to him.

His PK Love was waiting for Lucas to use it, he tugged on the power and felt it going to his arms and hands. His hands sparked with bluish white hexagon power, surprising Kumatora.

"Whoa! What are you doing?" She asked.

"I'm trying to test out PK Love," Lucas answered. "I wanted to see if I could use bits and pieces of it to enhance my body. It happened when I was fighting with Paula earlier, I think it could help more if I figure out how to use it. She might try to come after me again… and what if she brings Ness? He could be angrier and scarier than she is."

"Oh that's right, I forgot that you've never met Ness before," Kumatora said. "You know, other than that one time when he jumped out the window with Fuel. He does sound pretty intimidating since you don't know him personally, but he's a pretty understanding and nice guy. He likes to joke around a lot, which can get pretty annoying if you don't have a big sense of humor."

Lucas looked at her as he tried to take back some of the PK Love's power from his hands and spread it throughout his body. "You've met him?"

"I've managed to speak with him a few times back when he went on tour around America. I can't say I know him too well, but I can see enough to tell he's a nice person. I think you and him could get along, with your timid personality and his humor. You know, if we weren't in a war right now."

Lucas gave a small smile, "He sounds like how Fuel used to be, before he was trained to be a soldier. But I guess he wouldn't care about another soldier like me unless he wants revenge like Paula does."

"You can be pretty depressing sometimes." Kumatora rolled her eyes.

"Who can't be in times of war?"

"It's important to smile even in hard times… even if they're fake smiles, at least they're trying…"

Lucas wondered just what kind of tragedy did Kumatora herself faced before he came here.

"Kumatora… how can I be a part of this war if I can't even kill the enemy?" Lucas asked.

"You'll have to learn to isolate yourself from your guilt. Basically you'll have to learn to be cold and callous when you're on the battlefield. As you've seen for yourself, not killing still lead you to being on someone's hit list anyways. Better you get experience out there in killing rather than running away and being killed by someone stronger than you," Kumatora said.

Lucas didn't like that answer.

"I'm sorry. I know it's not something you wanted to hear…" Kumatora sighed. "But now I'm going to ask you something."

Lucas looked up at her, "What?"

"I've been holding this off because training came first and I didn't want to distract you with such things, but now I want to know…" Kumatora hesitated for a minute before she said, "You can use PK Love and you used to live on Nowhere Island, that means the Magypsies must've known you could awaken the Dragon that sleeps. So why didn't you?"

Lucas wanted to crawl under a rock and disappear forever when she asked him that, his PK Love retracted back into his core. He had thought he could pretend those people never existed and there never was a Dragon sleeping under the island when he came to America. He just wanted to leave the Pigmask war and the whole Dragon thing behind him.

"There's no Dragon under the island," Lucas said, his voice sounding colder than he intended.

"Lucas… I know you are aware of it," Kumatora said. "Please, don't try to hide this."

Lucas did know, and he hated that he did. Ionia, a Magypsy, was the one who awakened his PSI back on Nowhere Island, and she told him about the legend of the seven Needles that were spread out all over Nowhere Island that kept the giant Dragon asleep. Only those with PK Love could pull out the Needles and awaken the Dragon, and whoever pulls the Needles will pass on their heart to it. Once the Dragon was awakened, it will cause a cataclysm that would end the world, and if it inherited a good heart it will return the world back to its roots. Humanity would either be destroyed or put in a very long sleep until they are needed again.

When Lucas heard about this, he refused to go through with it. He refused to cause the end of the world and destroying humanity just because he happened to have this so-called chosen power.

"They wanted me to end the world, Kumatora," Lucas said bitterly. "They wanted me to use the Dragon to end the world and return it to the beginning. I didn't want that… there's no need to end the world like this. I don't know if this Dragon was created by a divine being or if it's a divine being itself, but I'm not going to wake it up just because the Magypsies say so."

"Is that why you left Nowhere Island?" Kumatora asked softly. "Not because of the Pigmask oppression, but because you didn't want to have to keep being pressured into waking up the Dragon?"

Lucas felt that was selfish of him when she put it that way. It was hellish to live with the Pigmasks everyday, they were the ones responsible for his mother's death and his brother's disappearance, and yet what ultimately drove Lucas to convince his father to leave was that he didn't want the Magypsies to keep pressuring him into pulling the Needles to wake the Dragon.

Lucas's silence was all the answer Kumatora needed, "Well… if I were you, I'd probably do the same thing."

This had Lucas perk up. "R-really?"

"Finding out you have the power to end the entire world would terrify anyone… well anyone who's sane enough to not want to destroy everything. I don't blame you for running away, heck I'm surprised you _didn't_ run away when the Pigmasks came like I did. It shows you have potential courage, either that or stubbornness," Kumatora said.

Before Lucas could say anything to that, Ninten walked in on them, "Lucas, since you chose to hide during most of the battle in Onett, you've been reassigned to a stealth mission in Dalaam."

Lucas blinked, almost as if he couldn't believe what just came out of Ninten's mouth. "A stealth mission?"

"Yes. I'm actually rather impressed it took PSI users with PSI Magnet to track you down in the battlefield, and so were the higher ups, they've decided you'd be better suited for a stealth mission with a small team rather than on the battlefield," Ninten answered. "And I have a feeling you might like the team you're assigned with."

Kumatora smiled, "Well, looks like it's your lucky day, Lucas."

"Come on, I'll take you to the debriefing room. There you'll get details of your mission as well as your team," Ninten said, gesturing the young boy to follow.

Lucas nodded and followed the commander out the door, more than happy to be getting a mission that didn't involve him being on the battlefield.

* * *

Ness walked into the barracks in Fourside to see Paula and Fuel sitting across from each other in chairs. Both of them tried to act normal, but even a child could tell that neither of them were comfortable with each other's presence. Paula held onto the hilt to her laser sword in her hand while Fuel's rifle leaned on his chair.

"Okay," Ness said loudly enough to startle both of them. "What's it going to take to solve this dispute?"

"Killing one of your fellow soldiers constitutes as second degree murder," Paula said. "You think that we can just apologize and make everything better, but it's not that simple. We can't just ignore the law, Ness."

"Second degree murder?" Ness said. "Come on, the best that you can hope for is third degree."

Paula rolled her eyes.

"And that makes everything so much better, doesn't it?" she asked. "Bah, it's a stupid distinction anyway. Why does it matter if you kill someone in a fit of passion rather than a calculated manner? The victim's dead either way."

"I'm sorry," Fuel said. "I didn't really want to hurt anyone."

"You told me that you would have shot him again in the same situation," Paula said, turning her icy gaze on Fuel.

Fuel gulped and nodded.

"See?" Paula said. "He doesn't really feel sorry. Maybe it's just incapable for these Nowhere Islanders to feel remorse."

"Paula!" Ness said. "Well, this is quite enlightening. Did I mention that there was a time when I _liked_ you, Paula? I'm guilty for those thoughts now that I discover who you really are. Take your racism and get out of this room."

Ness pointed at the door and stared Paula down. She grimaced, drawing a deep breath.

"I don't blame you for hating me," Fuel said. "But if you think that I stand for all Nowhere Islanders, then I have no respect for you as a human being."

"You're both right," Paula said, shaking her head. "I don't know what's gotten into me. I used to be kind and accepting. What the hell happened?"

Nobody answered her question.

"I never thought that this would be what I become," Paula said. "Just another bitter woman. I might as well be a statistic." She touched the cross that she wore around her neck and closed her eyes. "But at least I'm not alone. I have someone watching from above, always reminding me that I can do it. If only I could figure out what I want to do."

"I guess we could start with resolving this issue," Fuel said. "If the courts want to lock me up then I'll accept it."

"But your father…" Ness said.

Fuel's eyes flashed with pain. Ness could tell that Fuel had considered those consequences himself many times over.

"What about Fuel's father?" Paula asked.

"He relies on Fuel's income to support himself," Ness said. "He's physically handicapped and can't find a job as a Nowhere Islander. So what happens if Fuel gets locked up?"

Paula shrugged.

"We have welfare," she said. "It wouldn't be the end for him."

"And do you think that _welfare_ payments to an immigrant would be top priority in times of war?" Ness asked. "It won't be enough to live off of."

"People around the world make do with less," Paula said.

"That doesn't justify this!" Ness protested.

"Ness," Fuel said, setting his hand on Ness' shoulder. "It's all right. My father fought through the pigmask wars without access to basic living supplies. He'll be okay."

"Do you think that I _enjoy_ this?" Paula asked Ness. "Do you think that I see this as a fun time filled with sunshine and rainbows? I don't _want_ to see Fuel locked up, but it's the right thing to do."

"So you don't want revenge for Frank's death? You were talking earlier about killing Fuel, and you nearly killed Lucas."

Paula lit PK Fire on her own hand and closed her eyes. Ness jumped back as the flames raged, charring the skin of Paula's hand. Fuel shot a panicked look at Ness, but what was _he_ supposed to do? After what could have easily been a minute, the flames died out and Paula healed herself back up with Lifeup. She exhaled slowly, opening her eyes. After the power of regenerative PSI, Paula's hand looked completely normal.

"Paula," Ness said. "What was that?"

"I used to get migranes," Paula said, looking at her hand and smiling. "And while I would never say that I _miss_ them... It wasn't all bad. The pain clears my head off these heavy thoughts and even weeds out these deep-rooted emotions of anger and frustration. Once I stopped getting headaches, I found that I sometimes needed a little… cleansing. Thus the fire. Symbolic, no?"

"That's not quite the word I would use," Ness said. "What you're doing is called self-harm, Paula. Even the name indicates that it's harmful over the long haul."

"Not the way I'm doing it," Paula said. "Using pain to empty the mind is just another form of meditation. Poo went through far more extreme practices during his Mu training and you never had a problem with _that._ Now can we please get back to the topic on hand?"

"She's not going to budge on this, Ness," Fuel said. "We should listen to what she has to say."

"Thank you, Fuel," Paula said, shooting a surprisingly genuine smile at him. "Now, it's true that I do feel _terrible_ about Frank's death and that looking at Fuel fills me with rage. Perhaps this 'justice' that I seek is nothing more than anger I veil from even myself."

Well, at least _that_ sounded like the old, thoughtful Paula that he knew. Maybe the stress was just getting to her. Ness couldn't really blame her after everything that had happened, honestly.

"But regardless, I should not have come so close to killing you back in Onett," Paula said to Fuel. "I am sorry."

Fuel nodded, accepting the apology.

"See, Ness, this is why I say that the distinction between third and second person murder is ridiculous," Paula said. "When I pinned Fuel to a wall and held my laser sword at his throat, did it matter that I was really angry? I came close to killing him either way."

"It matters," Ness said. "Because that wasn't the real you."

"A convenient excuse," Paula said. "And a false one. I let myself get angry. I held the sword up to his throat. It was _my_ will that pushed me to become that person. It's as much 'me' as the person you see right in front of you."

"I refuse to believe that," Ness said. "People are generally good, and I know that you're a nice person. I blame the situation rather than you."

"Really," Paula said. "What happened to discovering the real, racist me? Didn't you say that you wanted me to leave the barracks?"

"I… wasn't thinking straight," Ness said. "I'm sorry."

"You _were_ thinking straight, but you're so ridiculously nice that you fool even yourself into thinking that those angry faces and vehement words aren't really us." Paula shook her head. "But back to the topic at hand. I think it's about time…"

Right when she said that, the door to the barracks opened and a half-dozen Eagleish soldiers stepped inside.

"Excuse me?" Ness said. "It's polite to knock before you enter someone's living quarters."

"We apologize for the inconvenience," one of the soldiers said, although he couldn't have sounded less sorry. "We are here on official orders. Fuel, you are under arrest."

"Wait!" Ness said. "We need to work this out by ourselves. You know, team power and all that."

"It's okay, Ness," Fuel said. "I wouldn't want to cheat the rules just because I'm friends with a hero. Should I leave my gun here?"

"Yes," the soldier said, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. "Do not make any sudden moves."

Fuel stared the soldier in the eyes and nodded. Ness couldn't imagine being in Fuel's situation and just _accepting_ it. But his experiences on the battlefield showed him that Fuel's mind worked quite differently from his. Fuel made split-second judgments that kept him safe and followed orders without complaint while Ness hesitated and contemplated. On his journey to defeat Giygas, Ness would have envied Fuel's simple style of thinking.

Now, he wasn't nearly as sure.

"Fuel," Ness said. "Do you regret it? Shooting Frank?"

"No, I don't," Fuel said. "There's not much that can push me through my soldier conditioning, but seeing my friend helpless and alone was enough."

"Quit talking," the soldier said, shoving Fuel out the door. "It's time to move."

The soldiers walked of the barracks and slammed the door behind them. Paula exhaled, looking away from Ness.

"Before you ask," Paula said, "Yes, I did report the incident to the military command. I don't regret it."

Ness tried to sort out his feelings about the whole mess and found himself left with frustration. It was so simple. Yes, Fuel had killed Frank, but he was still a good person. Could anyone blame him for trying to protect his childhood friend? No, of course not. So why did they still want to lock him up?

"I know that this is hard for you," Paula said. "Sometimes, I envy the way that your mind works."

"What do you mean?" Ness asked.

"You don't act on principles," Paula said. "You just do what feels right. It makes you more persuasive and compelling than I'll ever be. If all of what we did gets recorded accurately, people will see you as the hero and me as the villain. It's just hard not to like someone so simple and genuine."

"Are you calling me stupid?" Ness said, smiling to indicate humor.

"You know that's not what I mean." Paula smiled back, but nervousness shone through. "Do you know why I couldn't bring myself to let Fuel go without a trial that will probably lead to a lengthy sentence?"

"I could guess, but I would probably be wrong."

"Do you remember the promise that we made two years ago when we rose to fame after beating Giygas?" Paula asked. "We told each other that we would treat everyone the same. We promised that we wouldn't abuse our power to offer special treatment."

"We did," Ness said.

"And… Call me crazy, but I thought that letting Fuel off would violate that promise," Paula said. "Anyone else in the entire army would be locked up, so why should we use our power to give Fuel special treatment?"

"Because it would help someone," Ness said.

"I know, I know." Paula sighed. "But I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I wouldn't let myself become a hypocrite. After speaking out against corruption and politicians using their power to play favorites, I couldn't let myself become one of them."

"I… never really thought about it that way before," Ness said.

"I know that it's silly," Paula said. "You don't have to tell me. I'm just always thinking, and once my thoughts wandered to what it would feel like to see a murderer walk free just because he was in cahoots with a pair of bigshot PSI-users… I just couldn't break my promise."

"That's fine," Ness said. "It's good to keep your promises."

"Not really," Paula said. "There's always a point where something else overrides a promise. Nobody should be willing to sacrifice everything just to stay true to their word. That's my problem. I act on principles. I act on codes. It doesn't allow for a lot of nuance."

"I don't think so," Ness said. "There are different ways of thinking, and sometimes different philosophies work better in different situations. I'm sure that your morals have just as much merit as mine, Paula."

"So you're not mad at me?" Paula asked, her eyes widening.

"I'm… not sure," Ness said. "I think that I would be lying if I said that I don't feel any different after what happened between us. But I'm tired of hating people. You, Pirkle, the Americans, anyone. None of it does me any good."

"I wish that I could just… drop my resentment as easily as you," Paula said. She brought her hands back up to the cross around her neck. "Oh, Frank. Nobody saw the real you, did they? That month we spent together learning how to become teammates…" Paula shook her head. "Ah, why does this still hurt so much?"

"It's only been a few days," Ness said. "Eventually, you'll come to terms with it."

"I hope so," Paula said with a smile. "Thanks, Ness."

"But I do know that it's been really hard on you," Ness said. "I don't think that anyone blames you for it. Fuel was less opposed to you trying to lock him up than I was."

"Yeah, I noticed that too," Paula said. "I think that we're more similar than we would like to admit. If it had been me back then watching Fuel put a gun to your head and say that he would kill you, I would have killed him just like he killed Frank. Judging from my hypothetical reaction to the situation, I think that Fuel feels bad enough that he views a prison sentence as justice, even though he believed that it was the right thing to do."

"Hopefully we can get his sentence minimized," Ness said. "But in the meantime, we should probably make the best of this situation. I know that you're still grieving, but why don't I take you out to lunch? Call it a date."

"Even without this complex and intricate situation, you know how I feel about traditional dating practices," Paula said. "Especially since my family is rich."

"Yes, yes, you're just as capable of paying for stuff as I am," Ness said. "I've respected that so far, haven't I?"

"Well, I doubt it's been hard since it basically amounts to you paying less," Paula said. "But why the insistence now?"

"Because I want to do something nice for you," Ness said. "I was wrong to call it a date. I don't see it as a boy paying for a girl. To me, it's a friend putting in effort to make another friend feel better. You can take me out somewhere once I hit on hard times and pay for the entire outing if you want."

Paula's eyes widened slightly.

"See, this is what I mean," Paula said. "You want to do something nice for me, and then I had to object out of principle…" she shook her head. "When you put it that way, I graciously accept. Thank you for thinking about me despite the fact that Fuel's the one locked away in a prison. Do you have a specific place in mind?"

"Well," Ness said, "There's this really good burger restaurant that I discovered…"

"Well, you know that I like burgers _almost_ as much as you do. Let's give it a try."

Ness looked into Paula's deep, blue eyes and smiled. Even though they worked towards opposite outcomes, friends could still enjoy some time together.


	12. Chapter 11: Preparations

**DarkFoxKit:** Hey everyone, how has life been treating ya? You planning anything, Connor?

 **Connor:** Well, I'm starting novel write November and am starting to get involved with bio research (science major things :P), so that's cool. I hope that everyone else is doing well too. :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** It's going to be sad to see you leave the Earthbound fandom. I mean you're like one of the staple authors of this fandom. Still, I hope you have a successful future with your novel.

 **Connor:** Oh, I still have _plenty_ of Ceres chapters to publish (not like anyone's reading them D:). Shall we answer the reviews?

 **DarkFoxKit:** People love your story, they just rarely leave comments. ^^' Anyways, yes, let's get to the reviews.

 **AShinyBlueMew** **:** No, Paula does not have Lifeup. She is an element PSI user, meaning she uses mostly offensive PSI. Ness is the one who uses Lifeup in the group.

 **Ninten64:** **Connor:** Yep, Poo is definitely going to play a role in this story. :) Ness' family isn't actually a huge plot point; so I wouldn't worry too much about that… but anything's possible. :) I hope that you enjoy the upcoming chapters!

 **Karnelian** **: DarkFoxKit:** Yes, the Dark Dragon will play a role in this story. Lucas… well, I'll let you see for yourself in the later chapters. Heh, yeah, Lucas not wanting to wake up the Dark Dragon was inspired from my other Earthbound story, only he has the same mindset as Claus in that story. And yay, extra points for stealthy Lucas! ^^

 **Connor:** Most of the details about Paula were just to build her character (I get tired of writing people like Ness because he's not at all like me). And as Paula herself pointed out, pain is considered to be cleansing or meditative in other cultures. The self-harm is just a little quirk (in her mind, at least), and won't play too much into the plot as a whole.

* * *

 **Chapter 11: Preparations**

"You're kidding me," Ness said.

Fuel shrugged, looking at Ness from behind bulletproof glass. Ness looked around the grey walls of the prison room. This view might be one of Fuel's last.

"That's what they told me," Fuel said. "The Eagleish Government just legalized the execution of war offenders. I guess they really don't want to take any chances with criminals during a time of active war."

Ness frowned, crossing his arms over his chest.

"That's absurd," Ness said. "We're not barbarians. We're not monsters. We don't _kill_ people."

"The Americans still use the death penalty," Fuel said.

"Well, we're not the Americans," Ness said.

"You might want check about the details with Pirkle," Fuel said. "If the guards were telling the truth, I might not be around for much longer."

The flippant way that Fuel talked about his own death made Ness want to cry.

"I'm sorry," Ness said, turning away and burying his face in his hands. "You don't deserve to go through this. Nobody should be punished for trying to protect their friend."

"Are you sure?" Fuel said. "What if I were friends with the pigmasks and tried to protect them by attacking you? Would you have any sympathy for me?"

 _Would I?_ Ness thought. _I honestly don't know._

"But you're not friends with the pigmasks," Ness said.

"Still, I _could_ be," Fuel said.

"But you _aren't._ "

Fuel sighed.

"It's about the precedent that the Eagleish government would set if they let me go free. While I _might_ be justified in protecting Lucas, most people who kill their own squad members are not."

"But you're still right, even if they're wrong," Ness said.

"Not everyone sees it that way. If they start letting some traitors free, do they let _all_ traitors free? If not, who gets to decide which betrayals are justified and which ones aren't? It's easier to lump people into categories and judge us all based on a general crime."

"That doesn't make it right," Ness said. "Everyone I know would have acted the same way in your situation."

"And does _that_ make things right?" Fuel asked. "If almost everyone agrees on something, then is it okay? Because back in ancient times, slavery or other forms of exploitation were seen as acceptable. Does that make slavery okay?"

"Of course not!" Ness said.

"Then what does make something right?" Fuel said. "How do you judge?"

"There's no absolute way," Ness said. "But you did was right, Fuel. I just know it."

"Still, the courts have more to worry about than morality. The precedent that they set-"

"That shouldn't matter!" Ness said. "It's _wrong_ to punish you at all for what you did."

"I knew the rule and I broke it, Ness."

"That doesn't make the rule any less stupid."

Fuel sighed.

"I don't think that we're going to agree on this," the Nowhere Islander said. "But I think that we both realize that my execution is a little extreme. Talk to Pirkle about it if you want." Fuel smirked. "After all, I get the feeling that you care about my life more than I do."

"That's a sad fact," Ness said. "But I think it's true."

"I'm a soldier," Fuel said with a shrug. "I can't let my impulses and emotions hold me back."

"No," Ness said, surprised at the strength in his own voice. "As soldiers, it's important to remember why we're fighting. We want to create a better world for everyone else. Lose that desire and we lose everything."

"In that case," Fuel said, "My execution wouldn't matter. If a desire to help the world gives our life meaning, then I'm an empty husk. Slicing off my head would be no different than clipping off a long fingernail. After all, I'm not sure that I'm really alive."

"Fuel," Ness said. "We'll find a way to bring you back. I'll keep your life safe first, but then we'll find a way to pump some vigor back into your heart."

"Others have tried and failed," Fuel said. "I'll just bring you down with me."

"Just you wait," Ness said. "I did the impossible once and defeated Giygas. Saving you should be easy by comparison."

Fuel snorted a laugh.

"Good luck," he said. "And tell Pirkle that I said hi."

* * *

As Ness walked into the Monotoli building in Fourside, he spotted Paula sitting on one of the couches with her eyebrows furrowed and her expression deep in thought. She didn't notice Ness until he sat down on the couch right in front of her.

"Hey," Paula said, her voice lacking its usual vigor. "Everything all right?"

"If I said yes, I would be lying. Fuel…"

"I know," Paula said. "Lined up to be executed. And he's not the only one."

"Hmm?" Ness said.

"In a war situation, there are always military infractions," Paula said. "The government's trying to prove a point by killing some people off, even though academic research doesn't show that the death penalty works as a deterrent."

"So they're killing Fuel and the others as an example," Ness said. "They're trying to keep everyone else in line."

"It makes me feel like a barbarian," Paula said, wrinkling her nose. "I'm not sure if you've heard of this before, but the Eagleish government signed a law that banned capital punishment even in times of crisis. The last person to be executed in Eagleland was a fascist from the Second Great War."

"So we're taking steps back," Ness said. "Fuel isn't anything like a fascist."

"People are scared," Paula said with a shrug. "Twoson, Threed, and dozens of other towns got hit with surprise attacks. The American PSI-users blazed through our militias and sacked the towns. By the time that we send a real army or air force over there, the Americans are already gone."

"Hit and run," Ness said. "Just like those asshole drivers."

"Yes, except that there's _no way_ to counter this," Paula said, her eyes narrowed. "Except…"

"Oh no," Ness said. "The military probably wants us to do the same thing to America, doesn't it?"

"This is the new state of warfare," Paula said. "Strike forces can be mobilized in the blink of an eye with teleportation PSI, and they can retreat and fade away just as easily. Flanking, positioning, lines of defense… none of it matters if you can warp a small army anywhere you want."

"But why Twoson and Threed?" Ness said. "Those aren't military towns by any means."

"They're trying to show off their might," Paula said, "And they're trying to lower the morale of our citizens. They'll batter us into submission without fighting any actual battles if they get their way."

 _That honestly wouldn't be so bad,_ Ness thought. _The last big wars that we fought devastated Eagleland. If this could be a way to avoid real fighting altogether…_

"So do you want to talk to Pirkle together?" Paula asked. "We both have a lot to tell him."

"Yeah," Ness said. "Let's see what we can do."

* * *

"Oh, it's you," Pirkle said as Ness and Paula walked into his office. He flashed a nervous smile. "What can I do for you?"

"You can tell us what the hell is going on with this government of yours," Paula said. "Death penalty reinstated? Are you completely nuts?"

"Hey," Pirkle said. "There are legitimate arguments for it. We can't afford to…"

"We can't afford to descend back into a barbaric culture," Paula said. "The death penalty is one thing, but the way that you're using it to scare soldiers into obeying is despicable. On top of that, it probably won't even work."

"Listen," Pirkle said. "I didn't vote for the bill. To be honest, I actually agree with you completely. But it passed with overwhelming support, so obviously not everyone sees it the way that we do."

"What about the courts?" Ness said. "Couldn't they strike the law down? Paula mentioned that it violates earlier laws."

"Do you think that anyone listens to the _courts_ in times of conflict?" Pirkle asked. "Besides, even if the legislature took the courts seriously, we could just repeal the earlier law and pass ours again."

 _Ugh,_ Ness thought. _This is getting too political for my simple brain. I guess I should have expected it, coming from the Prime Minister of Eagleland._

"Still, this is unacceptable," Paula said. "We can't just let this go through."

"And why can't we?" Pirkle asked. "It won't affect either of you two, I hope. There are bigger fights to deal with, such as the war against America."

"Why are we even fighting them?" Ness asked. "Does anyone still remember? Yeah, they _might_ have stolen some of our technology and assassinated our public figures, but I don't think that most of us even care about that anymore."

"That's generally how things go," Paula said with a shrug. "The upper echelons of society manipulate the lower classes through propaganda and other emotionally charged appeals. In the middle ages, the church was responsible for reaching out and getting people to die for a meaningless cause. Now we have televisions and radios."

 _Strange that Paula would depict the church in such a negative light,_ Ness thought. _She's religious, right?_

"But this cause is not meaningless," Pirkle said. "Although I see your point. Even if we possessed no real reason to attack the Americans, we could still feed our people the same 'news' and get them to support us."

"Everyone doing it doesn't make it right," Ness said, crossing his arms over his chest. "I still don't think that we should fight this war in the first place."

"Well, I think that we'll never agree on that," Paula said. "So let's focus on what we can work together on."

Ness nodded.

"Pirkle," Ness said. "I want you to release a prisoner named Fuel. He's going to be executed as an example, but he really didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I expected this," Pirkle said. "Saying that he 'did nothing wrong' is a bit of a stretch, considering that he killed someone else in his own squad."

"He killed someone who was disobeying orders to protect his friend," Ness said. "Frank was dangerous."

Paula's lips tightened, but she said nothing.

"So you want me to release him?" Pirkle said. "I thought that this would fall under the 'special hero treatment' that you wanted to stay away from."

"It does, but I don't care anymore," Ness said. "Seeing Fuel die for protecting his friend is _wrong._ It doesn't matter what sort of precedent it sets or how the people will view me. This is the right thing to do, Pirkle."

"Sometimes, I envy your simple world," Pirkle said, shaking his head, "Where when something's right, you just _do_ it. That would never work for me as a politician."

"So will you release Fuel?" Ness asked.

"I propose a deal," Pirkle said. "I release Fuel and you try to convince Dalaam to join our side."

"Dalaam?" Ness said. "Why?"

"Because you're friends with Prince Poo and we need their PSI-users to combat the Americans."

"PSI-users? You mean the Mu sages?"

"It amounts to the same thing," Pirkle said. "They can teleport just like the American PSI-users, which is what we need to launch a counter-offensive."

"You want me to ravage innocent towns and cities just like the Americans are doing to us," Ness said, staring at Pirkle with a scowl.

"Sometimes, you have to fight fire with fire," Pirkle said. "I don't like it either, but the Americans aren't about to stop their strategy. This way, it puts both nations under pressure to negotiate a peaceful settlement rather than just us."

"I know that you don't like it, Ness, but the Americans aren't giving us many options," Paula added. "If we want to end this war without leaving one nation ravaged, we have to fight back."

"So if I refuse to negotiate with Dalaam," Ness said, "Then you won't release Fuel?"

"That is correct," Pirkle said. "I'm sure you could free him by yourself if you wanted to, but that would make you a criminal. I don't think that you would want that to happen, yes?"

 _Actually, I don't care as much as you might imagine,_ Ness thought.

"I'll do it," Ness said. "But you have to be prepared for Dalaam's refusal. You can't punish me or Fuel for trying our hardest and still failing."

Pirkle smiled and nodded.

"All right," he said. "It's a deal."

* * *

As soon as Ninten opened the door to the debriefing room, Lucas was greeted with something brown knocking him down. The boy yelped as he was pinned to the floor before something wet started to slab across his face.

" _Lucas! Lucas it's been dog ages since I've seen you! How've you been? Have they treated you right?"_

Lucas recognize the barking as the brown creature kept licking his face.

"I missed you too Boney! Now please stop licking my face!" Lucas laughed as he managed to get the dog off him.

Looking at Boney now, he saw how much healthier he looked. Boney was no longer scrawny and bony, and he looked a lot stronger.

There were some laughter in the room that sounded familiar to Lucas.

"I guess the dog really was attached to you, Lucas."

Lucas snapped his head up to see two familiar faces; his father Flint and that guy he found in the dumpster back in Ellay… what was his name again?

"Dad!" Lucas smiled as he ran up to his father, giving him a hug. "How've you been?"

"Hey son, I've been hard at work getting stronger," Flint said with a smile. "The commander decided to assign me as part of this stealth mission as the brute force of the group."

"Hey Lucas, remember me?" The dumpster man asked.

Lucas was embarrassed that he couldn't remember the man's name as their meeting was brief and it has been a while. "Uh… you were… that dumpster guy Boney and I found in Ellay, right?"

The dumpster man stared at Lucas before Flint burst into laughter, "So all my son really remembers about you was being a guy he found in the dumpster!"

The man grumbled, "My name is Duster, Lucas. I wasn't a dumpster man, I was a thief trying to find something important in Ellay, remember?"

Lucas gave an awkward smile, "O-oh yeah… I remember now! Uh… so did you ever find it? And… what are you doing here?"

"No…" Duster grumbled, answering Lucas's first question. "And I'm here because I was caught snooping around here a few weeks ago. The commander decided that I'll be useful for their cause with my stealth and experience as a thief."

" _I'm a part of this because I'm a dog. You can use me to trick the enemy, sneak up on them to go in for the kill or even use my nose to find something specific,"_ Boney said, mostly to Lucas and Ninten since they're the only ones in the room who can understand him.

Lucas turned to Ninten, "So this is the team for the stealth mission?"

Ninten nodded, "Yes, you four will infiltrate a place called Dalaam. It's on top of a tall mountain above the clouds. I would teleport you there since it's so far away, but I'll only take you to the base of the mountain. You'll have the walk the rest of the way there."

"Why?" Lucas asked.

"Because of the altitude," Ninten explained. "If your body doesn't get used to it slowly, it could go into shock or even kill you. So it'll be wiser for you to travel there at your own pace."

Lucas gulped, he never thought about the change in altitude could be damaging to one's body if they weren't used to it.

"So what is our mission here, Commander?" Duster asked.

"Back when the being known as Giygas was still threatening the Earth, there were four heroes; three boys and one girl. One of the boys was a young genius with mechanics named Jeff Andonuts, sadly he had passed away a year ago. The girl was Paula, an offensive PSI user," Ninten explained.

A shiver went down Lucas's spine as he remembered her all too well.

"And one of the boys was this Ness character, right?" Flint concluded.

Ninten nodded, "Yes, he was the leader and an assist PSI user, much like Lucas here and myself. However, there was one other boy who travelled with them. He too can use PSI, but we are unsure what type to classify him as he can use both offensive and assistant PSI, but having both means they're a bit weaker than an all out offensive or assist PSI user. However, that doesn't mean he's weak. This last boy is the young prince of Dalaam, said to be trained in the the ancient art of Mu. Mu is more of a spiritual training, and those that endure it always come out stronger. The prince's name is Poo."

Boney snorted, " _Okay, that is an awesome name to have."_

Lucas had to hold in his own laughter and hide his smile under his hand.

"Well now… that's… quite a name," Flint said.

"Indeed," Duster said, struggling not to smile himself.

"Yes, I know the name sounds funny to us," Ninten said. "But in their country it's nowhere near funny, so don't laugh about it when you get there."

Lucas cleared his throat, "So you suspect Ness will try to get his old friend to join him?"

Ninten nodded, "Precisely. Despite their relationship, Dalaam is actually neutral in this war, but if Ness manages to negotiate and have them join Eagleland then we are going to be at a disadvantage, even with our PSI users outnumbering them. Many of the people of Dalaam were trained special with Mu, even with our soldiers we could get taken down if they were to fight against us. Your job is to gather information and try to sabotage the negotiation if it comes down to it. If you do have to resort to sabotage, do not, I repeat, do NOT let anyone know you are on America's side. There's a reason why we prefer using Nowhere Islanders like you to take this mission. But if Ness or anyone one on his team recognize you, then Dalaam _will_ fight us no matter what, for trespassing and trying to sabotage negotiations."

Lucas got an uneasy feeling in his stomach. It felt like such an important mission and he worried he's going to screw it up somehow.

"You will be leaving tomorrow, so I suggest you get everything you need ready and get some rest," Ninten said. "Any questions?"

"Who's the leader of this little stealth team?" Duster asked.

"I've decided to assign you as the leader, Duster," Ninten said. "With your experience in the field as a thief, you would be perfect for leading this team. Now remember, don't get caught by Ness or anyone who could recognize you. Only sabotage if you _need_ to."

"I have a question," Lucas said. "When we have to leave, or possibly make a quick get away, how would we manage that? None of us can teleport."

"You'll have to use this to call me," Ninten said, showing a small device. "Put this on your ear and tap the button to communicate with me. The radius can reach even at the top of Dalaam. If you can, try to run down the mountain before calling me so I can safely teleport there and teleport you all back. But if you have to call me while at the top, I'll see if I can find a way to get there safely without having my body go into shock. Just be sure to tell me your location, I've been to Dalaam before so teleporting there won't be a problem, it's the altitude that could make complications."

Lucas looked at the little device that was to go into his ear. He hoped it wouldn't be uncomfortable or sting his ear.

"Any other questions?" Ninten asked.

"Would we go in our uniforms or our casual clothes?" Flint asked.

"Since we don't want the Dalaam to suspect you as soldiers from America, you are to go in your casual clothes. You are to act like you are just ordinary travelers," Ninten said. "Any more questions?"

Nobody said anything more.

"Then you are dismissed," Ninten said. "Prep yourselves for tomorrow's stealth mission, meet back here at 8 o'clock sharp."

Lucas couldn't believe his luck. He screwed up badly and almost got killed on his first mission as part of the American army and got reassigned on a stealth team with his dad, dog and Duster. Lucas remembered Ninten mentioning he wanted to send in Nowhere Islanders like them instead of people from America. Was it because Dalaam would easily recognize them if they were from this country? Whatever the case may be, Lucas hope he didn't screw this up. He really hope he didn't run into Paula again, she would surely recognize him.

" _Lucas?"_ The boy heard a dog whimper.

"Hmm?" Lucas turned to see Boney was following him.

" _Hey… the trainers taught me to sneak up and kill the enemy by tearing through their necks… but I'll be honest when I say I rather not do that. I'll follow you, Lucas, use me as your tool. I need a guide to tell me what to do in the battlefield,"_ Boney said.

Lucas bend down to pet Boney's head, "You're not just a tool, Boney… you're my friend."

" _Thanks, but I need to protect you too. I heard about what happened between you and that girl, so I want to do what I can to protect you,"_ Boney said as he looked at the boy with determination in his eyes.

Lucas gave a small smile, he liked how loyal Boney came to be with him even in their short time together. "And let me protect you too, Boney."

" _We'll get through Dalaam, I know we will,"_ Boney barked, wagging his tail.

"I hope so, Boney… I hope so," Lucas said, feeling worried about what will happen.


	13. Chapter 12: Dalaam

**Connor:** Here we are with another update! I won't say too much since I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about it… but man, yesterday was crazy here in the US.

 **DarkFoxKit:** Don't even get me started. I'm someone who didn't really care enough to watch the election myself, and I was still hearing about what was going on between Trump and Hillary. My parents actually stayed up past midnight, which is extremely rare for them.

 **Connor:** Yeah, that'll happen… I had a bad time staying up too, Sans style. D: If anyone's as salty about the outcome as I am, watch out for a oneshot that I'm probably going to upload later tonight (it's only like 6 here haha). That way, we can all cry liberal tears of sadness together. ;(

 **DarkFoxKit:** Is it that bad? My parents seemed really happy about the results. And because I didn't get into politics, I don't really know why people are salty about it. But let's just hope that our new president doesn't lead us off a cliff. ^^'

 **Connor:** Yeah, but let's respond to the reviews for now. :)

 **PKtofuMaster** **: DarkFoxKit:** Thinking about the first impression, realistically Lucas most likely wouldn't remember Duster's name, so he related to him as the dumpster guy because that was where he first found him. As for what Duster was trying to find, that will be relevant later. How funny that Lucas is sent on a mission to sabotage Ness's mission, I wonder how that'll turn out for either of them?

 **Connor:** Yeah, Paula's not a super popular character in this fic or Ceres. :P But it's good to hear that now, since I can use that fact to affect what I write in later chapters. And for me, I usually feel like it's the opposite: that giving characters the exact ending they want is kind of a cop-out in many instances. I'll just say that I _am_ one of the writers in this story, and you know how many characters I like to kill off. ;)

 **Star** **: Connor:** Yep, Ness' signature move is called "PK Rockin," although we considered him to be mostly an assist PSI user because of his adept nature in that area. As for your prediction about the cloaked figure being Ana… we'll see. :)

 **Ninten64** **: DarkFoxKit:** Well, Lucas didn't need to change his hair since nobody at Dalaam would've recognized him anyways, and he's barely seen Ness. Thankfully, Paula didn't go with Ness this time. I doubt Lucas would've had the acting skills to act like a different person, even if it is Claus.

 **Karnelian:** Well, it wasn't really Fuel's fault this time. D: Do you have anything to say, Fox? The rest of the review seems to be directed towards your part. :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** I'm surprised everyone wanted to see a stealthy Lucas. XD And yes, when I first saw Poo's name, I thought to myself how weird that was, and never actually gave the first default name to him. I figured it would be fitting if they did say something about that name, otherwise it would make people wonder why they didn't find it weird or funny. Connor! Watch out for the Starstorm!

 **Connor:** Waah! I don't want to die yet! D:

* * *

 **Chapter 12: Dalaam**

"You're not coming?" Ness asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not unless you need me," Paula said. "I'm probably more useful here."

Ness stood on the 27th floor of the Monotoli Building, looking out at the sea of headlights and noisy pedestrians below. Even at little more than half of the building's total height, few buildings rose up to Ness' eye level. Shops and residences below appeared as tiny strips on a field of grey.

"Don't you want to see Poo again?" Ness asked.

"Of course I _want_ to," Paula said, as if it were obvious, "But I could never forgive myself if something happened to this city. I moved my family here, and I won't let thousands of unknown faces stand in danger either."

Paula looked at Ness, her eyes asking a question far better than words ever could: _where did you hide_ your _family?_

Ness didn't know if he trusted Paula enough to tell her.

"What makes you think that Fourside will be attacked?" Ness asked. "Did Pirkle find out-"

"Pirkle knows nothing," Paula said, her voice sharp as she crossed her arms. "I don't know why you've been trusting him more lately, but he cares nothing for this city. The second that he got wind of an American assault, he would fly away in his helicopter."

"Bold words coming from someone who doesn't even question his laws and commands," Ness said, staring at Paula with a level gaze.

Paula locked eyes with Ness. After a moment, the corners of her mouth twitched upwards.

"Most people would bristle at such a comment," Paula said.

"And you are not most people," Ness said.

"I am more sensitive than you think," Paula said. She sighed, looking out at the green parks and grey streets of Fourside. "I just do a good job of hiding it. But you are right; I follow most of Pirkle's orders even if they leave a bad taste in my mouth. It's usually not worth going against the flow. One act of rebellion, even from a PSI-user, won't change anything."

"Is this about me and Fuel?" Ness asked.

"Not really." Paula turned back to face Ness. "It just irks me that you say that I don't question Pirkle while _you're_ the one who never feels doubt."

"I let go of my doubt back in Magicant," Ness said.

"Then you lost an important part of yourself," Paula said. "People who do not hesitate usually find themselves in situations that they regret."

"Better than let other people's opinions hold me back," Ness said. "You're too smart for your own good, Paula. You think that you can reduce the universe to a series of equations, but it's not that simple. Sometimes, you can't think about everything; you just have to go with your gut."

"Oh, because you had success following your instincts, everyone else just isn't listening to their heart enough," Paula said. "Because you struggle and succeed, those who struggle and fail clearly weren't trying hard enough."

"That's not what I meant."

"That's what you sounded like," Paula said. She sighed, her posture turning from tense to resigned. "I never thought that anything could pull us apart, Ness. But here we are." Paula looked up at the sun in the sky. "Here we are."

Ness tried not to show how much those words hurt him.

"So if you're staying here…" Ness said.

"Right," Paula said. "The Americans can teleport their PSI-users and a couple extra squads anywhere they want. I need to be on call in case they attack us here."

"I should probably leave, then," Ness said, turning away. He couldn't let Paula see him biting back tears.

"Ness…" Paula said, her voice softening.

Even without seeing her face, Ness could see her deep, blue eyes in his mind, scanning over Ness in worry. He sometimes found himself lost inside of those eyes of hers, Ness knew; he wouldn't let weakness take him now.

"I'm fine," Ness said. "We're all okay. We didn't lose our family to the war like many already did. We hardly have to fear for our lives." _So why does it feel like the entire world is crumbling beneath my feet?_ Ness wanted to ask.

"You're not fine," Paula said. "It's okay; you can be weak around me. I always-"

"But you're not going to be around me for much longer," Ness said. "So I had better get used to this."

Paula drew a sharp breath, and Ness knew that he should take back those words. He fumbled for the right thing to say.

"All of this drama and we're not even dating," Paula said. "I guess it amounts to the same thing with how much we rely on each other. No, with how much we _relied_ on each other. I'm going to miss you too, Ness."

What was he supposed to say to _that?_

"So many ups and downs," Paula said. "When you took me out to lunch, I couldn't picture a world without your kindness. Now I'm not sure if that even _was_ you. I'm sure that this phase will pass; I'm sure that we'll work our differences out. But I suppose now is not the time."

"Paula…" Ness said, finding his throat dry. "I-"

"If you see Fuel's friend Lucas," Paula said, "Tell him that I'm sorry. It's not _his_ fault that Frank died. I didn't even care about the revenge. I just wanted to hurt Fuel in the only way that I knew how. Tell him who I really am, Ness. Tell him that I'm the villain of your story as well as his."

Before Ness could respond, Paula walked off the balcony back inside the Monotoli Building.

 **Line break**

Ness entered Pirkle's office to find Fuel along with Pirkle himself standing inside. Fuel let out a yelp but sighed upon identifying Ness.

"Dude, don't scare me like that," Fuel said. "I'm not really supposed to be here, remember?"

"Yeah," Ness said, his voice deflated. "Sorry."

Fuel cocked his head to the side.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"Girlfriend troubles?" Pirkle suggested.

"Paula's not my girlfriend," Ness said. "But yeah, basically."

"You'll get used to it," Pirkle said. "I don't think that any man truly understands what's going on inside a woman's head."

 _But I do understand how Paula thinks,_ Ness thought. _I know why she's upset, and she knows why I'm upset. So why can we still not work out our problems?_

Ness knew that he should feel grateful. Aside from Paula targeting Lucas in a rage, she controlled herself better than anyone Ness had ever seen. She knew how far she could prod Ness without hurting him. She took his complaints in stride and didn't ever really blow up at him. She knew when to back off and let time heal the rift between them.

But in his current state, Ness felt too weary to be thankful. When he defeated Giygas, he had the whole world to back him up with their prayers and thoughts. Now even those closest to him were no longer on his side. Jeff had left this world entirely and his arguments with Paula continued to worsen.

Maybe Poo could bring Ness back to his old self.

"We all have those days," Fuel said. "Heck, we all have those weeks and months. Sometimes, life just sucks for reasons we can't explain."

Ness nodded. Dull stress that he couldn't attribute to any one factor held Ness back from enjoying himself. He couldn't muster up enough willpower to shrug of his lifeless attitude.

Maybe he just needed a change of scenery.

"Thanks," Ness said. "I'll try not to be _too_ downbeat during this trip. It wouldn't serve to have a diplomat sulking at every opportunity, right?"

Ness forced a smile and Fuel laughed. At least Ness could find a little humor in his weary attitude.

"Right," Pirkle said. "I suppose it's time to give you the rundown of you mission."

"Don't we just go in and persuade the Dalaamians to fight for us?" Fuel asked.

"In theory, yes. But Dalaam requires certain… formalities. Luckily, Prince Poo should be able to guide you through most of them."

 _If he's willing to help me, that is,_ Ness thought. _Given how much the world's changed in the past couple of years, I don't know if I'll even recognize my old friend anymore._

What a sobering thought.

"You'll want to set up an audience with the king," Pirkle said. "Poo should tell you the specifics, but you should obviously treat the king with respect."

"Come on, Pirkle," Ness said. "Give me a little credit here. I'm not _that_ dumb."

"Just a healthy reminder," Pirkle said with an innocent shrug. "Especially since you don't often look kindly upon authority figures."

"That's just you," Ness said. "I treat _other_ leaders with respect."

Pirkle fidgeted with a pen in his hand. Fuel cracked a smile.

"Well then," Pirkle said. "If you are so confident, I shall leave the details to you. Luckily, the Dalaamian leaders consider it rude to accept or reject a proposal without thinking about it first, so even if they suggest an economic deal that you don't quite understand…" Pirkle walked over and grabbed an inch-tall stack of papers. "These will tell you everything that you need to know about Eagleland's economic and political ties with Dalaam."

Ness let out a groan as Pirkle handed him the papers. Did Pirkle really want him to read _everything_ in the book-sized stack?

"And this is the abbreviated version," Pirkle said, shooting Ness a wink. "I have another version that's three or four times as thick."

"Well, thanks for sparing me from that," Ness said, rolling his eyes.

"This is more of a reference guide than anything," Pirkle said. "You won't have to actually read all of it."

Ness let out a sigh.

"Besides, we have ambassadors already in Dalaam," Pirkle said. "They shall assist you in the negotiations. Obviously, they are not combatants." Pirkle shifted his gaze over to Fuel. "Dalaamian custom allows for bodyguards to follow important diplomats around, even if it is just a formality. You shall act as Ness' protector, although I doubt he needs it."

Fuel nodded.

 _But why bring Fuel along at all?_ Ness thought. _Why not hold him over my head as a hostage?_

"Now," Pirkle said, "As Fuel has little experience with high-altitude locations, you should probably use the air lock room to acclimate."

"The what?" Fuel asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Just follow me," Ness said. "It's easier to show you."

* * *

Ness stood next to Fuel inside an entirely white room. Fuel's muscles remained tensed, which Ness suspected was a soldier reflex. He supposed that he should explain the air lock's function to Fuel so that the Nowhere Islander wouldn't get the wrong idea.

"In case you haven't noticed," Ness said, "This room can change its pressure and oxygen levels. It's already started to decrease both the oxygen content and overall air pressure to prepare us for Dalaam's altitude."

"I… still have no idea what that means," Fuel said.

"The air higher up is thinner and harder to breathe," Ness said. "Better to get used to it gradually. Not that it stopped us from teleporting straight here while we were on our quest to fight Giygas."

"So I'm getting the soft treatment?" Fuel asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Pretty much. But it's easier for me as well. I would always get light-headed when we teleported to Dalaam. Since we're here, there's no real reason _not_ to use this room."

Fuel nodded and relaxed his muscles, which Ness took to mean that he accepted the explanation. They stood in silence for a couple minutes until Ness heard what sounded like an elevator beep.

"That's our cue," Ness said. "You ready to go?"

"Already feeling a little light headed," Fuel said, squeezing his eyes open and shut. "But yeah, let's go." Fuel frowned. "I thought that you PSI-users couldn't teleport inside of buildings, though."

"Normally we don't," Ness said, "Because hitting something interrupts the teleportation. But in this big, empty room…"

"Ah, I wondered why it was so wide and open," Fuel said, looking at the white walls and chuckling. "I'm ready whenever you are."

"Teleport Beta," Ness said, preparing his stomach for the dizzy swirl that always followed after.

* * *

"Here we are," Ness said, looking of the edge of the cliff at the fluffy clouds below. "Welcome to Dalaam."

"Looks like a cartoon," Fuel said, looking around at the patches of grass and steep cliff faces. "A city in the sky where even the clouds cannot reach."

"And it's not even that cold," Ness said. "I should ask Poo why, one of these days."

"So is the Dalaamian Prince actually named 'Poo,' or is that just what you call him?" Fuel asked.

"No, that's his real name," Ness said. "It's on his birth certificate and everything." He paused. "Not sure if they have those here in Dalaam, but the name's as official as you can get. Poo doesn't even seem to mind that much."

"I assume we're heading towards the palace in the distance?" Fuel asked, pointing to a golden building guarded by massive elephant statues.

"Correct," Ness said, strolling off towards the palace.

"Come on," Fuel said, marching past Ness. "Can't you go any faster?"

"You'll tire yourself out with the low oxygen levels here," Ness said. "I'm guessing you've never been this high up?"

Fuel opened his mouth to protest but caught himself and slowed his pace to match Ness'.

"I haven't," Fuel said, "So I guess that makes you the expert. Didn't we acclimate already, though?"

"Thin air still means we get winded more quickly," Ness said. "Apparently, these Dalaamians evolved to have a greater lung capacity than the rest of us measly humans. I guess thousands of years of living up here will do that to them."

"Careful about using the word 'evolution' around Nowhere Islanders," Fuel said. "Most of us think that some dragon under the ground created us all. But that's actually really cool. Did you know that scientists are trying to map out a human's DNA? Think of how awesome it would be to look at the actual genetic differences between Dalaamians and outsiders to find what gives them that lung capacity."

The way that Fuel's eyes glimmered when he talked about genetics… Ness had never expected to see a side to Fuel like this.

"You mean you're _interested_ in that science stuff?" Ness said. "I just learned all of this altitude stuff from Paula and was trying to sound smart."

"Yeah, I _do_ have interests other than shooting things, you know," Fuel said. After a moment, his face turned wistful. "That was always my dream. To see DNA in a lab, to analyze it and figure out what all of it means. But living in Tazmily… I think that most of my neighbors and my parents considered genetics to be little more than witchcraft."

 _That's a… pretty specific dream,_ Ness thought. _But this is what I should be fighting for. I want to create a world where people can feel free to pursue their passions without wars and violence demanding their attention._

To achieve that goal, Ness was going to need quite a bit of help.

"Hey, Ness!" came a voice from behind him.

Ness recognized the voice but turned around anyway. He smiled upon meeting eyes with Prince Poo of Dalaam, one of his closest friends ever since Giygas' fall.

"Poo!" Ness said. "We haven't seen each other in months. How's everything going?"

Poo jerked up his left arm in a stiff motion. Ness gasped, looking at purple streaks that ran all the way down Poo's arm and onto the back of his wrist.

"Not well, unfortunately," Poo said.

* * *

To say Lucas was nervous would be an understatement. The boy was so nervous he actually felt like throwing up, but this was no time to show such weakness. After Lucas, Flint, Boney and Duster met up with Commander Ninten, he teleported them at the base of Dalaam's mountain. Scaling up the mountain was a challenge in itself. Thankfully they didn't have to outright climb it, there was a path that lead to the top, but it was still a long walk. Lucas wished they could've just teleported to the top, but as Ninten said they had to get used to the climate slowly or they could die. They had to take a lot of breaks along the way, but they eventually made it to the top. A village that not even the clouds themselves could reach.

Lucas felt nostalgic yet strange wearing his old favorite red and yellow striped shirt again. He had gotten used to wearing the soldier uniform that it was like he went back in time when he put this on again.

"So this is Dalaam," Duster said when they finally made it to the top.

" _So many new smells up here, I could explore all day and still wouldn't be able to smell everything!"_ Boney barked, his tail wagging in excitement.

"This place is different alright," Flint said.

"So where should we go from here?" Lucas asked, feeling nervous being in such a foreign place.

"The commander told us we should try infiltrating the palace. That's most likely where Ness will start his negotiation with the King of Dalaam," Duster said.

"Are you sure they'll allow commoners like us into the palace?" Flint asked. "A lot of people don't take too kindly to us Nowhere Islanders after all."

"Well if they won't let us into the palace, we'll have to find our own way in," Duster said.

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Lucas said. He really didn't want to be caught while sneaking in an important place like the palace.

Boney started walking ahead, " _Well come on, we're not going to get anything done by standing here talking about it."_

Lucas hurried after Boney, "Come on, I think Boney's getting tired of waiting."

Duster and Flint followed after the two. The people in the village looked at them in curiosity. It was clear they don't get a lot of foreign visitors. Lucas's cheeks heat up from all the attention, and he really hope this doesn't put a detriment to their mission.

The Dalaam began speaking to one another in a language Lucas wasn't familiar with, but he had a feeling they might be talking about them. The initial wonder of this place was now replaced by nervousness and nausea. Lucas had a really bad feeling and he didn't like it.

When the group reached the palace, there were some guards there, looking at them.

"Excuse us, but we would like to go through," Duster said.

The Dalaam guards kept staring at them.

"Maybe they don't understand Eaglelish?" Lucas nervously provided.

"That's going to be a problem if they don't," Flint said.

"Maybe they do and just don't talk," Duster said.

"I don't think that matters, if they don't want us in then we can't get in like this," Lucas said.

" _There should be another way in there, right?"_ Boney asked.

One of the guards said something to them, but it was in a language completely foreign to Lucas. Looking at his father and Duster, neither of them appeared to understand the language either. Lucas looked at Boney, wondering if animals could understand them, but it appears they only understand the language they've been exposed the most to.

"I'm sorry, but none of us speak Dalaam," Duster said slowly.

"If they can't understand our language, saying it slowly ain't gonna help!" Flint grumbled.

"Whatever, it's clear they don't want us to go in," Duster said. "Let's find another way in, come on."

Duster only said this out loud because he's confident these people didn't speak Eagelish. Lucas's bad feeling came back, but he followed Duster along with Flint and Boney. They looked around the castle, trying to see if there were any possible way inside. The place looked pretty well covered unfortunately.

* * *

"How are we going to get in? Not even a mouse could squeeze through here," Lucas said.

Duster sighed before he said, "Well, as my old man always told me… 'if you don't see a way in, make a way in.'"

"And how are you going to do that without alerting those dang guards?" Flint asked.

"Take a look at the roof," Duster said. "There's a door up there that would lead into the palace. We just have to climb up there without getting caught and we'll be set."

"How are we going to get up there?" Lucas asked. "I don't have any flying PSI on me."

"Yeah and I doubt any of us could sprout wings and fly up there," Flint said.

Duster rolled his eyes before he took out giant looking staples in his hands, "We use these. I call them Wall Staples. I use them to climb up walls. Now I'm going to start attaching these babies on the wall, you keep a lookout in case someone spots us."

Lucas watched in awe as Duster puncture solid wall with his Wall Staples and kept going higher. Boney began growling, which alerting Lucas.

"What is it, boy?" Lucas asked.

" _Someone's coming this way,"_ Boney warned.

"I think you should hurry, Duster," Lucas said.

"I'm going as fast as I can," Duster said.

Flint and Lucas hurried over to the wall. Duster was still climbing up, but they had to go now. Flint began climbing after Duster and Lucas whistled for Boney. Boney walked over to Lucas as he picked up the dog.

"Hang on to my shoulders," Lucas said.

Boney clinged to Lucas' shoulder with his paws as Lucas began climbing. Fortunately they made it to the roof along with Duster, unfortunately one of the guards probably heard them because he came back there and noticed the Wall Staples in the castle's wall before looking up, seeing them. The guard began shouting something in Dalaam.

"Well looks like we just sounded the alarm," Flint said.

Duster hurried to the door and tried to open it, "It's locked."

"Can't you unlock it?" Lucas asked.

"Yeah, I'm on it now," Duster said as he took out a pin from his pocket and began fiddling with the lock.

Boney began barking loudly as the guard began climbing up the Wall Stables. Lucas and Flint hurried over to stop the guard from reaching the roof.

"We're sorry about this, pardner, but we can't have you coming up here," Flint said before smashing the guard's face in with a big 2x4 wood.

Lucas paled when he saw people started gathering and more guards were coming their way. Duster managed to get the door open.

"Okay, it's open!" Duster said.

Lucas, Flint and Boney didn't hesitate to run into the door with Duster.

* * *

"Some stealth mission this turned out to be!" Lucas said while they were running down a fancy looking corridor.

"Commander Ninten failed to mention these people don't speak Eaglelish!" Duster grumbled.

"And they apparently don't like strangers here," Flint said.

Boney sniffed before stopped and began barking, " _Wait! Don't go that way! Someone strong is that way!"_

Lucas, Flint and Duster stopped when they heard Boney barking.

"He says there's someone strong that way," Lucas translated. "We better run somewhere else!"

Duster and Flint didn't need to be told twice, they quickly changed their course and ran in another direction. But as they were running, the person Boney was smelling came through the door and had spotted them. Lucas heard the person yelling something, but again it was in that foreign language.

Daring to look back, Lucas saw the person chasing them appeared to be a boy a little older than him wearing white robes. Although he was young, he could sense a strong aura in that boy.

"This is bad," Flint said softly when he stopped in front of Lucas, making the blond haired boy bump into him.

Lucas rubbed his nose as he looked to see what made Flint and Duster stop, and his stomach dropped. They were surrounded by guards. The boy who was chasing them earlier walked up to them, making Boney growl.

"Easy boy," Lucas hissed to the dog, not wanting Boney to jump and attack suddenly.

"Why have you come here?" The boy said in Eaglelish, though he had quite an accent.

Flint, Duster and Lucas stayed quiet. They were told by Ninten if they ever got caught they were not to tell them who's side they were on, anything they say can and will be used against them. Boney didn't speak, he just kept growling.

"Are you spies?" The boy asked.

Again, the group stayed silent. What could they say to defend themselves without making things worse? They couldn't say they were tourists since they basically snuck into the palace and assaulted one of the guards.

The boy sighed when he didn't get any answers from them, he said something in his native tongue to the guards, but Lucas could guess he was telling them to take them to the dungeon or prison or wherever the heck these people keep their prisoners in.

The guards grabbed onto their arms and pulled them to their backs roughly. Lucas was surprised to see Duster and Flint weren't fighting back, maybe they knew they'd be killed if they tried right now. Boney looked like he wanted to attack, but Lucas shook his head at him. Boney whined, but stood down as the guards tied a rope around his neck. And just like that, Lucas and his team were prisoners to the Dalaam.


	14. Chapter 13: Attack on Dalaam

**Connor:** Hey, everyone! Sorry for not updating last week. Honestly, I just completely forgot.

 **DarkFoxKit:** I forgot too. ^^' We'll try to be better with that. On an unrelated note, I'm excited to finally get my hands on Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon! It's a lot of fun so far.

 **Connor:** That's good! :) I kind of want to get it but the lack of multiple save files really turns me off. I normally split games with my brothers, but it's hard to do that with only one save file.

 **DarkFoxKit:** You could get two different versions. But I guess it would be hard since that would be expensive. But anyways, we will get to the reviews and let you guys read the chapter.

 **Star** **: DarkFoxKit:** I always like having the main characters as an underdog, I find it more fun and interesting that way. Lucas may not learn stronger versions of PK Love, but that doesn't mean he can't hold his own in a battle. And Ninten may not be the best planner. ^^' But he didn't send them in to fight, he was hoping they would be stealthy.

 **Connor:** Yeah, admittedly not the greatest of plans, I think we can agree. But there _was_ logic behind it, and Lucas is unfortunately quite expendable to the Americans. :(

 **Ninten64:** **Connor:** Thanks! :) Yep, we're building up to a bit of a climax (although not _the_ climax), so I hope that you continue to enjoy it! :D

* * *

 **Chapter 13: Attack on Dalaam**

"Poo," Ness said, his heart caught in his throat. "That wound…"

"Looks a little like blood poisoning, doesn't it?" Poo asked, inspecting the streaks down his arm. "But unlike blood poisoning, I can't heal it." He jerked the injured arm up, wincing as he did so. "I can feel the poison seeping through the rest of my system. I'm guessing that I don't have a lot of time left."

"No!" Ness said. "You're going to live, Poo. I promise."

The Dalaamian Prince shrugged.

"Everyone dies," he said, "And I've already accomplished more in my life than most people ever will. I can't express how grateful I am to have shared your quest with you, Ness."

"Stop talking like you're already on your deathbed!" Ness said.

Poo rolled his eyes.

"You're quite predictable, you know. Yet something about your state of denial is… charming."

"State of denial?" After crossing his arms over his chest, Ness released a sigh. "I guess I can get a little stubborn sometimes. I'll power through any mission you throw my way, just like a wolverine." Ness winked at Fuel.

"And you've always been… annoyingly cheerful," Poo said. "I don't know how you manage to crack so many jokes and smile in the face of tragedy."

"I know," Fuel said. "I mean, I've seen PSI before, but _this_ is sorcery."

Poo's eye twitched when he heard Fuel speak. The movement was so slight that Ness wasn't sure if he had even seen it correctly.

"So who's your friend?" Poo asked.

Ness introduced Fuel and Poo to each other, making sure to study Poo's expression for more signs of distrust. Ness saw nothing out of the ordinary, but that didn't reassure him.

"We found a group of rogues recently," Poo said. "Nowhere Islander accents. One of them can use PSI." Fuel stiffened. "Neither of you would know anything about that, would you?"

"No, your highness," Fuel said, his voice losing all of its warmth.

"It's not an accusation," Poo said. "If they were with you, they would have come with Ness and shown themselves as friends to Dalaam instead of scaling our walls."

"I'm glad that we understand each other," Fuel said, his icy stare matching his tone.

"So," Ness said, trying to change the subject before tensions worsened. "How did you get poisoned? Maybe we can find an antidote."

"It was on the tip of a bullet," Poo said. "Shot by another rogue, although I doubt that the Nowhere Islanders were involved. Never even saw the bastard, although I used PSI Magnet and found that he possessed PSI powers." Poo's expression darkened. "I've been looking for him ever since he shot me."

"Well, we'll help you look for him," Ness said.

"I don't mean to be rude," Fuel said, "But what about our objective? We need to negotiate an alliance with Dalaam."

"I think it can wait," Ness said. "Poo is my friend. I can't just leave him alone. If you were poisoned, then I would do the same for you."

"Guess I can't say no to that," Fuel said, flashing a smile.

Poo opened his mouth to respond, but closed it after a moment.

"You didn't happen to send aircrafts to Dalaam, did you?" Poo asked.

"No, why would we…" Ness' eyes widened. "You mean you heard something?"

"My Mu senses train me to notice what others do not," Poo said, his face darkening. "Let's make haste to the palace. It's probably nothing, but I must plan for the worst." Ness and Fuel nodded. "Teleport Beta."

The world started spinning around Ness as he ran around in a circle. After a few seconds, he closed his eyes and experienced a gliding sensation as he rose upwards.

* * *

Poo was right to plan for the worst.

Upon appearing in front of the palace after Poo's teleport, Ness spotted a number of airships circling around the upper district of Dalaam. Oddly enough, they looked bulky while sprouting only stubby wings. Their structure combined with their ironclad armor made Ness wonder how those things even took off the ground.

"Are the Americans attacking us?" Poo asked. "That makes no sense."

"Not the Americans," Ness said. "Fuel, I'm sure you recognize the design."

Fuel growled and unslung his rifle. A bomb fell on the palace, shaking the earth as it exploded.

"How could I forget?" Fuel said. "Your highness, these are _pigmask_ airships."

Poo's eyes bulged out of his sockets.

"They shouldn't be strong enough…" Poo shook his head. "That doesn't matter. Let us help evacuate people in the palace before the pigmasks blow it to smithereens."

Poo dashed into the palace, Ness and Fuel trailing closely behind. While Poo said earlier that Ness' denial was charming, Ness himself always admired Poo for controlling his emotions. Looking at the grimace on Poo's face, Ness didn't doubt that he felt a personal connection to this palace, but he knew to prioritize the lives of people inside. People often mistook Poo for someone soft and weak because he never lashed out in anger when he could take an alternative path.

What these people refused to see was that Poo could kick enough ass for anyone when he actually had reason to.

"Looks like most of the people evacuated already," Poo said, looking around an empty room. "The pigmasks probably came from the other side of the mountain…" Poo trailed off as he looked at burn marks on the walls.

"What do you think could have caused those?" Fuel said, examining a set of black marks on the yellow wall.

"I sense PSI residue," Poo said.

"The damage probably came from a plasma sword," Ness said. "It would burn the walls like that and leave signs of PSI behind."

"But I thought that only us and the Americans used those," Fuel said.

"I can sense more marks that way," Poo said, pointing down a hallway. "I'm going to check it out. Come along if you like."

Poo broke out into another dash. Ness took one look at Fuel before nodding and chasing after Poo.

Poo stumbled upon the corpses of guards, burn marks charring their skin. Their eyes were open wide and their mouths were open wider; Ness couldn't help but imagine that only death had cut off their screams. Poo grimaced as he examined the bodies for a moment before motioning for Ness and Fuel to follow.

"Let's catch whoever did this so that they can't make a repeat of this scene," Poo said, his eyes narrowing.

"I like this prince," Fuel said after Poo ran off again. "He uses good, soldier's logic."

"Let's not get left behind, then," Ness said. "I know what soldiers do to deserters, and it isn't pretty."

Ness and Fuel caught up to Poo as the prince looked down a flight of stone stairs into the darkness below.

"I sense more PSI residue down there," Poo said. "In the dungeon. Why would anyone go down there?" He cast a side glance at Ness and Fuel. "Either of you have any ideas?"

"Trying to free a friend, perhaps?" Fuel said.

Poo's shoulders relaxed. It took a couple seconds for Ness to catch onto the meaning behind Poo's question.

"You waited for us to suggest the obvious answer," Ness said. "You _suspected_ us and wanted to see if we would try to hide something from you."

"You can never be too careful," Poo said. "Follow me."

Fuel shook his head as Poo dashed down into the dungeon.

"On second thought, he might be too clever for me to like him," Fuel said. "I hate being reminded of my own stupidity."

"Don't we all?" Ness said, shaking his head. "Let's go."

Ness and Fuel descended the steps and walked forward into the darkness. Ness found a door leading to the dungeon and opened it. Once inside, Ness struggled to make out more than the basic shape of cells with the lack of light in the area.

"This way," Poo said from further within.

Ness ran forward, eventually making out the shadowy form of a human.

"PK Fire," Poo said.

A row of torches lit up the entire hallway, revealing two lines of empty cells with another door leading further into the dungeon at the end. Poo already stood at the end of the hall while Ness was near the start.

"Hurry," Poo said.

The Dalaamian Prince opened the door and walked in. As Ness followed, he heard the hum of a plasma sword somewhere above him.

Ness looked up to see the tip of a plasma sword cutting a hole through the ceiling.

After a few seconds, the plasma sword cut a circle and the portion of the ceiling dropped, landing with a thud. A man wearing the standard dark uniform and helmet that marked all American PSI-users jumped down through the hole that he created with his plasma sword, landing on the ground without stumbling. He pointed his plasma sword at Ness and grinned.

"It's been a while, Ness," the boy with the plasma sword said. "Remember me?"

The hairs on the back of Ness' head stood up. He remembered that voice, all right.

"How could I forget the person attacked my house and knocked out my family.?" Ness said. "You go by the Masked Man, right?"

The Masked Man smirked and nodded, his helmet obscuring the rest of his expression. He walked over to the door that Poo walked through and slammed it shut. Ness growled, summoning his plasma sword.

"I guess it's just us," the Masked Man said. "This makes things easier."

 _Just us?_ Ness thought. _Wait. Where is Fuel?_

He didn't have time to check. Ness pointed his plasma sword at the Masked man.

"Oh yeah?" Ness said. "I can handle myself fine without royalty to back me up."

"Is that so?" the Masked Man asked. "You certainly haven't put your trust in the right people."

Ness heard the entrance to the dungeon swing open. Tearing his gaze away from the foe in front of him, Ness shot a glance back at the entrance. He gasped when he saw what the Masked Man was referring to.

Fuel stood at the bottom of the dungeon steps, his rifle pointed at Ness' chest.

"You're really too nice for your own good, you know," Fuel said, putting his finger on the trigger. "Why did you think that Pirkle assigned me to your squad in the first place?"

"No," Ness said, hearing his heart pound in his chest. "Fuel, please don't say that…"

"I'm sorry," Fuel said. He shook his head, but his rifle remained pointed straight at Ness' chest. "I don't expect you to understand, but I'm sorry anyway."

Ness' blood ran cold. He had _known_ Fuel! The Nowhere Islander wasn't a bad person. Under his gruff attitude, Fuel carried a heart of gold in his chest. Ness refused to believe that _this_ was the real Fuel. So why would he possibly betray Ness like this?

Ness could only come up with one reason.

"You're desperate, aren't you?" Ness asked. "They handed you an offer that you couldn't refuse."

Fuel's grip on his rifle tightened.

"Desperate indeed," the Masked Man said. "Maybe next time you should put your faith in someone who doesn't have a painful past hanging over their head. Not like it will matter."

 _Really?_ Ness thought. _Because I can take a couple bullets to the chest and walk out with bruises._

"Maybe," Fuel said. "Or maybe I just played you all for fools."

Fuel switched his aim, leveling his gun at the Masked Man and pulling the trigger. A bullet tore through the Masked Man's throat, which would have been enough to kill any normal human. Someone who could power a plasma sword and therefore used PSI, however, wouldn't die as easily.

Ness wasted no time, taking the opportunity to lunge forward at the Masked Man with his plasma sword, who barely raised his sword in time to parry Ness' attack.

"What?" the Masked Man said, baring his teeth. "Pirkle told my master that you would turn on Ness when one of us gave the command!"

"Yeah, I lied to Pirkle." Fuel leveled his gun and took another shot. This time, the bullet ripped through the Masked Man's chest. "It's what rogues and Nowhere Islanders do."

Ness continued to swing at the Masked Man, hoping that his adversary would be preoccupied enough to let his guard down.

"You don't have any other options!" the Masked Man said. "You need the money that Pirkle's offering!"

"For what?" Fuel said, firing off another pair of shots. "I would rather live in poverty than betray the one person in Eagleland who's shown me kindness."

Fuel's bullets sunk into the Masked Man's legs. Ness darted forward and landed a full-force stab right into the Masked Man's chest. Ness' opponent stumbled backwards.

"Goodbye," Fuel said.

Fuel shot another couple of bullets that took the Masked Man in the chest. The Masked Man let out a gasp as he fell backwards, landing on the ground. His helmet rolled off his head, giving Ness a close look at his entire face for the first time. Red hair with a cowlick, green eyes, normal-sized nose and ears… besides the lack of freckles on a redhead, Ness didn't see anything out of the ordinary.

Judging by the gasp that Fuel let out a second later, Ness guessed that his comrade's opinion differed significantly.

" _Claus?_ " Fuel said. "By the Dark Dragon's wings…"

The Masked Man scrambled to his feet, scowling at Fuel.

"I don't have a name," the Masked Man said. "I don't know who you're mistaking me for, but…"

Mechanical wings sprouted off of the Masked Man's back. He flew up to the ceiling, out of Ness' reach. Ness readied himself to use PSI to finish him off.

"PK-"

"Don't hurt him, Ness!" Fuel shouted, his eyes wide with panic. "He's… my friend."

 _Even though he tried to kill us?_ Ness nearly shouted back.

"Listen, I'm not…" the Masked Man shook his head. "I guess if it gets your friend to stop firing PSI at me, I guess I'll play along."

The Masked Man flew out of the hole in the ceiling that he carved to enter the prison earlier, leaving his mask behind.

"Claus…" Fuel said, shaking his head. "After all of these years…"

"It sounds like there's quite a story behind this one," Ness said, "But let's see if the rest of Dalaam is okay. Besides, we still need to see if Poo's okay."

An explosion sounded nearby, shaking the earth. Fuel gritted his teeth.

"Yeah, let's go," Fuel said. After passing the hole that the Masked Man carved in the ceiling, he let out a sigh. "I'll find out what's going on with you, Claus. Just give me some time."

* * *

Lucas found himself in a dark chamber, locked up like a prisoner. The place wasn't so bad, not compared to the prisons he's seen with the Pigmasks back on Nowhere Island. Still, he had been separated from his father, Duster and Boney. He figured they have taken Flint and Duster into their own prison cells, but he had no idea what they'd do to an animal like Boney, he worried that they might cook and eat him.

Lucas shook his head, not wanting to think about that. How could have this mission gone so terribly wrong? Ninten chose them because he believed they were the best choice for this mission, and yet they screwed up even before Ness even showed up for the negotiations. Lucas thought back, getting lost in his head. Duster was probably used to working alone, so he didn't think about how much more of a risk scaling up the castle's wall with more people would be. Flint didn't have much patience, so he agreed to go with Duster. Boney was the sniffer of the group, what was he going to say? And Lucas… well, he can't say he had much experience for these kinds of things. Maybe Ninten made a mistake using them for this stealth mission.

Lucas's mind wandered more as he sat in the dark chamber. His mind went back to his days in Tazmily Village. Oh how he missed his carefree childhood days, back when his mother was still alive and Claus was still around. He missed when he and Claus would visit Fuel and the three of them would play in the village and Sunshine Forest all day long. It wasn't the most glamorous or productive life in the world, but he wouldn't trade it for anything else. All of that just disappeared when the Pigmasks came and took over. His mother died trying to protect him and Claus, while Claus just… disappeared the next day. The last time Lucas saw Claus, he was leaving the village with a knife in his hand, claiming vengeance on those Pigmasks for taking their mother away. And Lucas didn't stop him. That had been three years ago now that he think about it.

There was a lot of noises above where he was. Lucas looked up, wondering what was going on, not like he could go and see since he was locked up. Lucas knew there was a PSI barrier over the door, that boy knew he had PSI so he made sure to put a barrier over it so Lucas couldn't use his PSI to escape.

Still, the noises were getting louder and it was making Lucas feel uneasy. Lucas stood up, feeling worried now. There was something approaching him, something strong and unnatural.

Then there was a loud explosion on the other side. PSI barrier or not, it couldn't protect the door from a bomb. Lucas yelped and scrambled back to the wall as the heavy door fell down. Who just bombed the door?

Looking up, he could see something he hoped he'd never see since he left Nowhere Island. A Pigmask was standing right there, holding a gun.

"You, come with me now!" The Pigmask demanded.

Lucas's body trembled, he was afraid. The Pigmasks had always held an iron fist over him and his village, it was not an easy feeling to shrug off. But, Lucas was determined to not let them take him like they took his mother and brother away.

"If you don't come with me now, then I'll knock you out and force you," The Pigmask threatened.

The boy stood up and tried to get his arm to stop shaking, giving a glare at the Pigmask soldier. "N-no… no, I won't go with you."

"What?" The Pigmask growled. "Fine, then I'll knock you out!"

The Pigmask fired his laser gun at Lucas, the boy took the hit. Hissing, Lucas grabbed the nearest object he could find and lunged forward, slamming the rock into the Pigmask's helmet. The Pigmask squealed, but wasn't knocked out. He fired at Lucas again with the gun, Lucas hissed in pain before having enough.

"PK Love," Lucas whispered.

A bright blue-ish white energy slammed into the Pigmask with a small hexagonal explosion. The Pigmask hit the wall and fell in a slump. Lucas walked out of his chamber and ran down the dark corridor, using Lifeup to heal his wounds.

There were more Pigmask soldiers down here. What did they want here? Lucas didn't know, but he didn't like it. If he knew this Pigmasks well, then they must be here to take over Dalaam as their territory like they did with Tazmily Village. Rage began building inside the usually timid boy, memories of how the Pigmasks just came and took over everything and took his family away, Lucas was more than ready to beat them all into a pulp.

The Pigmasks squealed when they saw Lucas running down the corridor and charged at him.

"Get him!"

"Don't let that boy get away!"

Lucas allowed his PK Love to flow through his body before he kicked a Pigmask a few feet away, then he used portions of his PK Love to hold three Pigmasks in a hexagonal energy before causing it explode. Lucas didn't care if he killed these Pigmasks or not, he was too angry to care about their lives. The longer Lucas ran down the corridor, the more PSI he used to beat back the Pigmasks. Where were they all coming from? Lucas didn't have his plasma sword so he could only use his own PSI and hands to fight back. He put up a shield around him when the Pigmasks tried to blast him with a bomb or their laser guns.

* * *

" _Lucas!"_ A familiar bark caught his attention.

Lucas turned to see Boney jumped at one of the Pigmasks and bite down his throat, tearing it. The Pigmask fell to the ground, unmoving. Boney charged and bit another Pigmask's throat. Lucas nodded to Boney, glad to see he wasn't alone anymore. Lucas used his PK Love to rid more of the Pigmask army in this place.

After all the Pigmasks were taken care of, Lucas panted. He was getting tired and running low on PSI.

Boney perked up and growled, " _Someone's coming."_

Lucas got into a defensive position with his finger sparking.

"Whoa, easy there," A female voice spoke up from the darkness. "I'm not your enemy, Lucas."

Lucas's eyes widen in surprise when he saw a cloaked figure approaching him. Lucas felt she had a strong PSI aura, but she didn't seem to be hostile. Lucas put his hand down and looked at the cloaked figure, seeing a small cup in her hands.

"How did you know my name?" Lucas asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm a friend," she answered. "That's all you need to know. If you want more proof, I have an American soldier beside me."

Lucas frowned, but he did take notice of the American signature helmet, uniform and plasma sword tucked away on the soldier's belt. The soldier was pretty short though, almost about his size. There was also something about the soldier that felt… familiar, nostalgic even, but Lucas couldn't place how or why. Lucas looked away from the soldier, wanting to get these weird feelings out of his head.

"You must be tired after beating up all those Pigmasks here," The cloaked figure said. "They blew a hole in the mountain and are now invading this place. But these are just the scouters looking for new recruits. The real army are coming in with aircrafts, and oh boy there's a lot of them. I don't think Dalaam, even with its Mu training stands a chance with that much of an army invading."

Lucas looked down, his hands curling into a fist. He couldn't believe that these Pigmasks grew so much and so strong over such a short amount of time. Perhaps waging war against the Eaglelanders like this was just wasting their energy and resources, their true enemy should be these Pigmasks before they get too strong.

"I have to stop them…" Lucas said. "I have to… before this place becomes like what Tazmily Village became…"

Boney whined, " _I don't think we can take on a whole army!"_

"I have to find Dad and Duster, maybe they can help…" Lucas said.

"Now, before you go running off, drink this," The cloaked figure said, handing over the cup she was holding to Lucas.

"Hmm?" Lucas took the cup and saw purple liquid inside, his face scrunched up a bit. "What is this?"

"It's a potion medicine that help restore your stamina and PSI," The cloaked figure explained. "It should help you deal with any more Pigmasks you find along the way."

"Oh, well thank you," Lucas said.

Boney frowned, " _I don't know, Lucas. It doesn't smell right."_

"Oh don't you worry about that," The cloaked figure responded to Boney. "It's a new type of medicine, so of course it's unfamiliar, but it works."

Lucas nodded, he was feeling tired and low on PSI after his little rampage here, he might as well take a chance and heal up. Besides, that soldier beside the cloaked figure felt reassuring, he couldn't really explain why. Maybe he's just happy to have a familiar sight on his side in a place like this. The boy took a sip from the cup. It had a tangy taste to it.

"Make sure you drink the whole cup," The cloaked figure said. "Or the medicine won't be a potent."

"Okay," Lucas said before drinking the whole cup dry. He let out a breath when he finished.

Boney still didn't feel right about this, but who was he to argue, he was just a dog.

"Huh… I'm starting to feel better already," Lucas said.

"Good, now give the Tanetane Mushrooms from time to kick in," The cloaked figure said, sounding a bit too happy.

What she just said made Lucas stomach drop, "What? Tanetane… Mushrooms?"

"Yeah, they're great for restoring stamina and PSI," she said.

Lucas paled, he knew what those mushrooms were and he also knew about their terrible side effects. He dropped the cup, causing it to shatter on the ground. "No! Why would you give me Tanetane Mushrooms!?"

" _Lucas! What's wrong? What are Tanetane Mushrooms?"_ Boney asked, feeling worried.

"Oop, did I give you something I wasn't supposed to give you? My bad," The cloaked said, not sounding sorry at all.

Lucas gritted his teeth, already the colors were starting to flash around him. His heart beated against his chest as he began to feel light headed. Lucas shook his head, trying desperately to get a hold of his mind. He thought about throwing up, but it was already in his system, throwing up would not stop the hallucinations.

" _What have you done to him!?"_ Boney growled angrily.

"We just gave him some medicine," The Masked Man spoke up. "But it does have some pretty nasty side effects."

Lucas thought he recognized the Masked Man's voice, but that could just be the mushrooms trying to take over his mind. He couldn't stay here, he might hurt someone. Lucas began running away. Boney saw Lucas running and went after him.

" _Lucas! Wait!"_

The cloaked figure smiled, "Now for the fun to really begin." She turned around, seeing another group coming this way.

Lucas didn't stop running down the dark hallway, still fighting to keep his mind from the mushrooms. Boney was running behind him.

" _Lucas!"_

Lucas finally stopped, no longer able to run and fight the mushroom's effects at the same time. He grabbed onto the sides of his head as he opened his eyes to see the colors starting to shift and change into an unnatural neon color. He shook his head in a feeble attempt to snap back to normal.

"B-Boney… I… please, don't follow me… while I'm like this…" Lucas said to the dog. "I… I might… hurt you…"

" _What? Why would you? What are those mushrooms doing to you?"_ Boney asked in concern.

"They… they're going to… make me hallucinate… I won't be in my right… state of mind. Please Boney… don't come too close, I don't… want to hurt you," Lucas said. "Everything's already changing… I can't stop it."

Boney didn't want to leave Lucas, even with that warning, the dog stood by his side. Lucas fell to his knees as the dark gray walls turned into a bright pink, the floor turning into a colored candy blue.

" _Lucas, there's another Pigmask coming this way!"_ Boney barked.

Lucas looked up to see someone running to them, but it didn't look like a Pigmask. It looked like Flint.

"Hey son, why are you laying on the floor like that?" Flint asked.

Lucas didn't feel so weak anymore, in fact he felt just dandy. He stood up and looked at Flint. Flint gave him a wide smile.

"Dad?"

"Yes, daddy's here. Daddy's going to beat you up. You've been a very bad boy. Daddy's going to beat you up," Flint said as his smile became so wide it threaten to split his face as he pulled out a gun and aimed at Lucas. "Say goodnight, Lucas."

Lucas let out a scream as his own father shot at him. Boney jumped at 'Flint' and tackled him. Lucas hissed as he saw Boney, who miraculously still look like Boney, beating up the eerie smiling Flint. Lucas hissed as he stood up, knowing that this couldn't be his father. Flint would never treat him that way… would he?

Boney, after knocking down 'Flint', ran back to Lucas. Lucas turned around, thinking maybe they should go back the way they came, but then his brother appeared.

"C-Claus?" Lucas's eyes widen.

Claus hadn't aged a day since he went missing. He was shorter than Lucas now. He gave an innocent smile at Lucas.

"Hey Lucas, what are you playing? I want to play too!" Claus said with a happy smile.

Lucas shook his head, tearing coming down from his eyes. Claus was here, he was back, and he was just as innocent as he remembered him.

" _Lucas?"_ Boney whimpered. " _Lucas what are you doing?"_

"Claus, I… I've missed you. Where have you been?" Lucas said as he tried to keep from sobbing.

Claus just kept smiling as if nothing was wrong, "No, where have _you_ been, Lucas? Everybody's waiting for you."

"Th-they are?" Lucas asked.

"Yes, everyone you love is waiting for you, come on!" Claus said as he took Lucas's hand.

Lucas smiled, Claus's hand was warm just as he remembered it. Claus began leading him down the pink and purple hallway.

Boney whined before running after Lucas. He was barking, but nothing he said was being translated anymore.

"Touch my heart, Lucas," Claus suddenly said as he pulled Lucas's hand to his chest.

Lucas's eyes widen in horror when he saw his hand literally went through Claus's heart. The chest had a large hole in it, and blood was seeping out. Lucas yelped as he tried to pull back his hand, but Claus held on tightly.

"See how my heart beats in and out?" Claus said cheerfully.

Lucas almost threw up when he felt an organ in his brother's chest beating.

Claus then whispered in Lucas's ear. Lucas had no idea how Claus was able to lean in on his ear like this.

"Everyone is waiting to spit at you, to throw rocks at you, to make your life a living hell. Who's everyone? Everyone you love," Claus hissed as his smile became eerie and wide.

Lucas began crying again, but for a different reason.

"Hey, are you okay?" A new voice spoke up. "Why are you holding out your hand like that?"

Lucas opened his tearful eyes to see his brother was gone, like he vanished into thin air, but no… that's not it. Looking up, he saw Claus was beside Fassad. He remembered Fassad, that man was the one who lead the Pigmasks to invade his peaceful village. So he was here again, taking his brother away once more. Lucas wasn't going to let it happen again.

"Let my brother go!" Lucas growled.

"What?" Fassad said, sounding confused.

"I said… LET HIM GO!" Lucas yelled before firing off a PK Love at Fassad.


	15. Chapter 14: Emotional Pain

**Connor:** Hey, how's everyone doing? We're on the last stretch before winter break… for those of us in school, that is. :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** I'm more excited about the cold weather. I can't stand the heat, and I felt summer dragged on a little too long. At least now I don't have to worry about mowing the lawn and bugs trying to bite me.

 **Connor:** Ah. Bugs aren't actually that bad where I live, which is really nice. Shall we respond to the reviews?

 **DarkFoxKit:** Maybe not for you, but they drive me crazy. Anyways, yes, we shall.

 **Star** **:** Well, they are indeed Ness and Fuel. Lucas could have PK Flash already, he just doesn't use it. I never really use it myself. ^^' And thank you for the congratulations, but I get major anxiety when I battle with another person.

 **Ninten64:** **Connor:** Thanks! :) Yes, there hasn't really been a primary antagonist for much of this fic, huh? Although I can't promise that the pigmasks are going to be the only enemies… ;) Ness and Lucas will work together in certain ways, but often in different places. When we try to write each other's characters or write a single scene together, it doesn't always turn out well. It's sometimes frustrating, but I think it's best when we can each make the world bend around our own characters rather than trying to combine their influences in a single setting.

 **Random Reviewer** **: DarkFoxKit:** Well, they're here. XP

* * *

 **Chapter 14:** **Emotional Pain**

After passing through a few more hallways, Ness swung open a door to another row of cells to see Poo sweating and panting. The Prince of Dalaam picked himself off of the floor and onto his feet. Next to him stood a cloaked figure who was leaning over and holding onto one of the cell bars.

In front of them both stood a blond-haired boy with his fists raised. His eyes wandered around the room, bulging in their sockets.

"Lucas!" Fuel shouted. "Are you…"

"Pigmasks!" Lucas shouted, his eyes wild with rage. "Get away from my brother!"

"Lucas, Claus isn't-"

Ness grabbed Fuel and pulled him away from the door as Lucas shot off PK Love. Ness heard the cloaked figure groan. It sounded like the woman that Ness and Fuel encountered back in Merrysville.

"Might have bitten off more than I can chew," the cloaked woman said.

"Shut it, Fassad!" Lucas shouted. "I won't let you-"

Ness looked back around the corner into the hallway as Poo dashed up and slammed a knee into Lucas' stomach. Lucas gasped, staggering and falling on his rump.

"Claus," Lucas said, looking at Poo in horror. "Why would you…?"

"Ugh," Fuel said. "He sounds so betrayed."

"What's going on?" Ness asked.

"I made him hallucinate," The cloaked woman said with a shrug. "A few Tanetane mushrooms did the trick quite nicely."

"Tanetane mushrooms?" Fuel said, glaring at the cloaked woman. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Claus…" Lucas said. "Please, don't make me fight you too. I've been waiting for so long…"

During that time, Poo had healed his wounds with Lifeup and now looked completely healthy except for the streaks of poison that ran down his arms. Poo turned towards the cloaked woman and adopted a combat stance, slightly bending his legs so that he could dart any direction that he needed to.

A dog walked up and licked Lucas' face.

"What are you?" Lucas said. "Some sort of monster? Don't lick me…"

"Well, it's nice to meet you all," the cloaked woman said, "But I really don't have time for this. PK Beam Omega."

Poo dashed to the side, but the cloaked woman didn't aim the beam at him. A massive laser shot outwards from the cloaked woman's hands and slammed into the end of the hallway. Unlike the rest of the halls, this row of cells didn't have a door that led further into the dungeon. A flat wall presented only a dead end… and Ness could soon see why.

The cloaked woman's laser vaporized the entire wall, opening a short tunnel that led outside the dungeon. She took off in a sprint through the tunnel that she created and into the light of the outside world. Poo ran after her without a moment's hesitation.

"Claus!" Lucas shouted, jumping to his feet and reaching out. "Don't go… don't... leave me again." Lucas sank to his knees. "Please."

Lucas buried his face in his hands before he shook his head, glaring up at the ceiling.

"No. I have to get Claus back myself. I'm a failure to everyone, including Ninten, all I have left is my brother… I'll find him if it's the last thing I do."

Lucas stood up and ran out after Poo and the cloaked woman. Ness looked over at Fuel, whose stiff posture and determined scowl shut up anything Ness might have said.

" _Can either of you two understand me?"_ the dog asked.

"Yeah, I can," Ness said. "You should probably make it quick. My friend is out there, and so is Fuel's."

Fuel shot Ness a glance. Ness looked back, his expression saying, " _I'll tell you later."_

" _Lucas isn't thinking straight. If that woman messed him up, think of what she'll do to everyone else!"_

"Yeah, we're going to chase after her," Ness said. "Do you want to come with us?"

The dog cocked its head. Ness hadn't ever seen such a contemplative expression on a dog's face before.

" _No,"_ the dog said. " _I'm going to find the rest of my friends. They might need my help too. Promise me that you'll take care of Lucas, okay?"_

"I'll do my best." Ness looked back towards Fuel. "Let's go. I don't want to leave Poo and Lucas alone out there."

Fuel nodded. He and Ness ran through the tunnel that the cloaked woman created with her laser.

"I'm not really afraid of that woman, though," Fuel said. "It's easy to tell that she's insecure. You can hear it in her voice. She always wants people to know how clever and powerful and mysterious she is. Those sorts of people usually build their image upon lies."

"So she got bullied as a kid or something?" Ness said. "She still has dangerous psionics. I'm counting her as a threat. Besides, I tend to pay close attention to people who've been beaten down. When they fight, they don't hold anything back because they have nothing to lose."

By then, they had reached the end of the tunnel. The light of day blinded Ness, causing him to squint. He used his hand as a visor to shade his eyes and took a quick look around. They stood on the slope of a mountain, which explained why the woman's PK Beam carved a path out even when they were supposedly underground. All around, flowers bloomed and grass swayed in the wind.

More importantly, Ness and Fuel were surrounded on all sides by pigmasks.

"Damn," Fuel said, bringing up his rifle and shooting one of the pigmasks through the eye. "I hope that Lucas didn't run into these guys."

 _Damn is right,_ Ness thought. _I can take out all of these soldiers, but I need to get them clumped up…_

Ness grunted. He didn't know if he had the time to lure them all in for a devastating PK Flash attack. He looked at Fuel, who raised his rifle and dropped another pigmask before hiding back in the tunnel to avoid counter fire. Fuel was an excellent shot, but against _all_ of these pigmasks? If Ness abandoned him to chase after Poo, the pigmasks would likely overwhelm him with sheer numbers.

"Fuel," Ness said. "I need a genius idea right now. How can we get through these pigmasks without me rounding them up and slamming them with PSI?"

"I'll divert them," Fuel said. "Then you run."

"Divert them where?" Ness said. "We're surrounded on all sides!"

"Trust me," Fuel said, a smile coming to his face. "I have a couple of tricks up my sleeve."

Ness swallowed.

"All right," he said. "One last question before we separate. Did Pirkle really order you to kill me?"

"Yeah," Fuel said. "I didn't understand it myself, but I guessed that you would. Does he bear a grudge against you?"

 _Not a serious one,_ Ness thought. _I'm one of his most prized PSI-users. He rose to fame after Onett received all of the attention for raising one of the chosen four heroes._

"I can never tell with that man," Ness said. "Are you ready with your diversion?"

Fuel grinned. He popped out of the tunnel and shot a group of pigmasks, dropping each one with a single bullet. He dashed towards the pigmasks' dead bodies, as if trying to escape. The pigmasks fired back, so Fuel ducked under a small overhang that shielded him from the pigmasks' laser guns. The pigmasks advanced towards Fuel, likely thinking to corner him. Ness sucked in a breath of air.

 _I'm sure Fuel accounted for this,_ Ness thought. _But maybe I could help him out._

As a group of pigmasks passed by the tunnel, Ness summoned his plasma sword and leapt out. His stomach churned whenever he thought about killing someone, so he tried to slice the guns out of the pigmasks' hands instead. Most of the time, he ended up cutting off fingers or hands.

 _Well,_ Ness thought. _I guess that's better than taking lives._

He kicked the pigmasks to the ground and looked around. Many of the pigmasks shifted their attention from Fuel over to him, firing lasers from their guns. Ness shrugged off the pain and healed himself as he ran forward. He toyed with the idea of sending a PK Rockin their way, but he still didn't know where Fuel was and wouldn't risk the chance of accidentally killing his own friend.

 _I sure hope that you know how to escape a situation like this, Fuel,_ Ness thought. _I'm counting on you not to die out there._

After a few shots at Ness, the pigmasks grew bored at shooting such a swift target and ceased their fire. Ness spotted pigmask bodies lying on the ground to the left and up the slope of the mountain. Guessing that Poo had killed the pigmasks with his martial arts, Ness ran up to the pigmask corpses and looked for others. He saw a trail of dead pigmasks killed by blunt trauma, encased in ice, and expoded by the power of PK Starstorm.

Ness would think about the horrors of war later. For now, he resolved to find his friend.

After what felt like hours of following Pigmask corpses, Ness spotted Poo fighting against the cloaked woman in one of Dalaam's town squares as bombs set nearby burnings aflame. Ness dashed in to assist Poo and a bomb exploded a few feet behind him. He escaped the blast radius, but the force of the bomb and the amount of debris sent flying threw Ness flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet, coming face to face with the cloaked woman.

"Well, well," she said. "Looks like you brought a friend after all. Two on one isn't really fair."

Ness summoned his plasma sword and lunged for the woman. She summoned a plasma sword of her own and blocked the attack. Poo darted in for a kick, and the woman barely managed to dance out of the way.

"She's good," Poo said, dancing backwards as the woman swung her plasma sword at him. "Not good enough to beat both of us, of course, but I was starting to worry."

"Sorry I kept you waiting," Ness said.

"Aw, how sweet," the woman said. "It's too bad that you only have a few days left together, isn't it?"

Something in her voice tipped Ness off.

" _You_ poisoned him!" Ness said. "You were the one who shot the poisoned bullet! The spy that Poo was searching for… it wasn't American or Eagleish. It was a _pigmask._ "

"Please," the woman said. "Don't compare me to those freaks. Our goals simply align for the time being. But yes, I poisoned your precious friend."

"I'll kill you!" Ness shouted, taking a step forward.

Poo placed a hand on Ness' shoulder.

"She's trying to bait you into doing something stupid," Poo said. "Don't give her what she wants."

"You're going to _die_ because of her!" Ness said. Turning back to the cloaked woman, "Tell me what the antidote is!"

"So childish," the woman said, shaking her head. "Didn't your parents ever teach you that other people have agendas as well? Your display of rage, as pure as it may be, means absolutely nothing to me."

An airship that looked like a fatter version of a helicopter landed on the ground. The ship's doors opened, revealing a number of pigmasks led by a man carrying a banana in his hand.

"Well, there's my ride," the woman said. "I hate to say goodbye so soon, but-"

"Oh no you don't!" Ness shouted, charging towards the cloaked woman.

Poo shouted for Ness to stop, but Ness hardly heard the words. He lashed out with his plasma sword, missing by a mile as the woman leapt to the side and slashed at Ness' arm with her own plasma sword. Ness cried out in pain and dropped his weapon, the plasma sword deactivating as it clattered to the ground.

"They don't get any smarter, eh?" The man with the banana asked. "This is why heroes always die young."

"I plan to be the exception to that rule, Fassad," the woman said. "Now if you'll help me capture this boy…"

The cloaked woman reached out and grabbed onto Ness' hands, restraining them and preventing any opportunity for Ness to use PSI. Without his hands free, Ness couldn't even use alpha level moves.

"PK Freeze Gamma!" Poo shouted.

Ice encased the cloaked woman's wrists. She cried out in pain and released Ness from her grip, giving him the chance to sock her in the face.

Ness took that opportunity gladly.

The woman grunted, recoiling as Ness' fist collided with her face. She lashed out with her plasma sword, but Ness managed to leap back in time. She broke into a sprint and hopped into the helicopter before Ness could fire off any PSI.

"PK Thunder Gamma!" Poo shouted.

As the helicopter took off, bolts of lightning flashed from the sky and struck the flying machine. The helicopter's engine started to puff out smoke, but the helicopter managed to propel itself forward. It crashed into a building as it made its way upwards, trailing steam as it bumped along through the air.

"They got away, but I don't think that their helicopter will carry them long," Poo said. "I'm pretty sure that I damaged the engine."

Ness looked around at the flaming buildings and rubble.

"Wait," Ness said. "Where did Lucas go?"

* * *

Lucas had been so focused on chasing after Claus and Fassad that he hadn't realized he was out of the candy colored dungeon until he lost sight of both of them. He looked around and saw the entire world had changed. The grass was purple, the tree were pink, the sky was orange, the buildings were lavender and red.

"Where did you go… Claus?" Lucas asked to nobody in particular before he began walking forward.

The boy kept walking until he found himself surrounded by people. People he knew, people he had loved that lived with him back in Tazmily Village. He saw Thomas, Jackie, Betsy, Bronson, Mr. Lighter and even Fuel beside him.

"Huh? What're you all doing here?" Lucas asked, confused as to why they were all here and not back on Nowhere Island.

Fuel stepped forward to him, pointing a gun. Lucas paled as he remembered Fuel had become a soldier and took a step back.

"F-Fuel?" Lucas whispered. "Wh-what are you doing?"

Fuel gave a wide, creepy smile before he said, "You're pathetic, Lucas. Always running away, always acting like such a big baby, you let the Pigmasks take over, you let them turn me into what I am today."

Lucas looked around and noticed how everyone were now holding out their own guns at him, making Lucas feel heartbroken. How could they do this to him? What had he done wrong?

"You learned some PSI, didn't you? We can't even call you human anymore," Mr. Lighter said with venom in his tone.

"You're the one with PK Love, you were going to awaken the Dragon and kill us all, weren't you!?" Betsy snapped.

"N-no, I didn't…" Lucas said softly.

Bronson shoved him to the ground, causing the boy to yelp.

"Don't even bother getting up you useless crybaby freak," Bronson spoke coldly.

"Just stay down so we can blast your head," Jackie hissed. "Nobody wants you here."

"F-Fuel, please tell them to stop!" Lucas begged. "I didn't mean anyone harm!"

Fuel just snickered cruelly, "I wish it was you who disappeared instead of your brother. You're weak and useless. Your brother was strong, your brother was better than you, you deserved his fate."

Lucas wanted to cry, he felt those words cut through him like a knife. And it was true, he had been useless to everyone around him. He ran away from the Magypsies, he couldn't stop the Pigmasks from taking over his home, he couldn't stop the B.B. Gang from taking him, he couldn't even do his job right for Ninten and Kumatora after they took him in.

There was a sudden explosion nearby. The people around Lucas suddenly squeaked like pigs, causing Lucas to look up at them. They sounded to be in a frenzy, speaking so fast that Lucas couldn't keep up with them. They ran away. Sitting up, Lucas wondered why they suddenly ran off like that. Then there was another explosion. Lucas yelped when some of the buildings caught on green fire. Lucas had never seen green flames before, but now was not the time to admire it, green or not, fire was fire.

Lucas knew the Pigmasks must be nearby because only they would set up bombs everywhere to blow things up so they can move in. The cotton candy blue smoke covered the area, though it looked like cotton candy, Lucas didn't dare to breathe in it and covered his mouth and nose with his shirt. Lucas looked around before picking up something that looked like a stick, just in case he needed something to defend himself with.

Moving on, trying to find someone he knew who didn't completely hate his guts, Lucas hurried through the neon colored village in hopes of getting away from the cotton candy smoke. Not seeing where he was going, he ran into someone and fell on his back.

"Ow!"

Lucas coughed a bit before looking up to see who he ran into. It was a Pigmask Major, though it strangely looked a lot shorter than most Pigmasks.

"Lucas! I've been looking for you!" The Pigmask Major said in a strangely concerned tone.

Lucas didn't know what this Pigmask was playing at, but he didn't have time to stick around. Then again it was the Pigmask's fault this village was getting assaulted. The boy stood back up and held the stick tightly in his grip.

"Lucas?"

"Don't talk to me, Pigmask!" Lucas snapped. "Tell your soldiers to back off and get out of here!"

"Lucas, I'm not a Pigmask," The Pigmask said. "Please calm down, you're hallucinating."

Lucas just kept glaring, "If you're going to stand in my way, then I'll knock you out of my way!"

The Pigmask hesitated before he said, "Lucas, why must we fight? I only want to help you."

"Shut up! Like I'd believe anything a Pigmask have to say!" Lucas growled.

"Fine, if I have to fight you to wake you up, then I will!" The Pigmask said back, holding up his gun.

Lucas ran at the Pigmask with the stick in his hand. The Pigmask fired his laser gun at him, but Lucas poured part of his PK Love into his hands and enhanced the stick he was holding before using it to deflect the lasers away. The Pigmask jumped around Lucas when he got in close and continued to shoot at him. Lucas hissed as some of the shots managed to hit him, but he was far from finished. The boy set up a golden shield around him.

When the Pigmask shot at Lucas again, the golden shield on the boy reduced the damage, but it also bounced the shot back at the Pigmask, causing him to yelp in shock and pain as the laser hit him back. Without his morale and emotions holding him back, Lucas didn't hesitate to run and strike at the Pigmask. The Pigmask barely managed to jump away from the stick that left a good sized hole on the ground. Lucas flipped back when the Pigmask tried to shoot him again.

"Jeez Lucas, you didn't tell me you got tougher," The Pigmask grumbled.

Lucas didn't hesitate to charge at him again. The Pigmask tried to fire, but Lucas smack the laser away with his enhanced stick before coming in close. The Pigmask was forced to fight up close with Lucas, but he wasn't fast enough to react before Lucas slammed his stick into the Pigmask's stomach, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

Lucas was about to finish the Pigmask off by stabbing his stick through his back when someone yelled, "STOP!"

Before Lucas could react, a plasma sword slammed into his arms, causing Lucas to drop the stick and hissed out in pain. Looking at who stopped him, he saw a Pigmask Colonel and another Pigmask Captain. These things were everywhere.

"Don't hurt him!" The Pigmask Captain yelled.

The Pigmask Colonel ran at Lucas. Lucas reacted quickly by spreading out his PK Love throughout his body and blocked the incoming kick to his stomach. The Pigmask Colonel looked shocked, not that Lucas could really tell due to the mask, but he didn't bother to relish it because the Pigmask Colonel punched him. Thanks to his Counter, it didn't hurt as much as it would've and the shield bounced the attack right back at the Colonel.

"He must've set up a Counter," The Pigmask Captain said. "Don't use physical attacks on him!"

Lucas knew Pigmask Colonels were tough, but this one was really giving him a hard time. Still, he wasn't going to back down. He shoved out his hand at the Colonel and caused a small explosion with his PK Love right in the white wearing Pigmask's face, causing it to fall back a few feet. The Pigmask Captain started to run at him, but Lucas noticed and he responded by kicking his feet at the Captain's chest.

Lucas knew he would tire out eventually, especially being surrounded by tough Pigmasks. He had to find a way to escape.

"Ness, we have to knock him out…" The Pigmask Major said, still rubbing his gut.

The Pigmask Colonel did something that Lucas never expected a Pigmask to do.

"PK Freeze Gamma!"

Lucas was covered in ice crystals before he could even register what just happened. A Pigmask being able to use PSI? That made this Colonel that much more dangerous. Lucas managed to break free of the ice thanks to the PK Love enhancing his body, but he had to do something quick before these abnormally strong Pigmasks kill him.

"Lifeup." Lucas healed himself with his PSI.

"PK Thunder Gamma!" The Pigmask Colonel shot out lightning at the boy.

Lucas moved around the battlefield, trying to dodge the lightning strikes, he managed to dodge two of them, but the third hit him from the side. Lucas hissed in pain, but he countered by throwing out a PK Love hexagon bomb at the Colonel.

Then the Pigmask Captain came up from behind and slammed a baseball bat into his back. Lucas had to heal himself again with Lifeup before he turned to the Pigmask Captain. Why was he holding a baseball bat? Where was his weapon? No… was it a baseball bat? Lucas looked again and saw it was the plasma sword. Lucas picked up the stick he had dropped and enhanced it with his PK Love before running at the Captain. The plasma sword and the stick were parring each other, both infused with PSI, causing sparks to fly each time they clashed with each other.

Lucas noticed another lightning coming from above and about to strike him. He jumped back, barely dodging it. The Pigmask Colonel wasn't down yet, and he was assisting the Pigmask Captain. Lucas was starting to become tired, he didn't know how much longer he could keep this up. Just who are these Pigmasks? He knew they were strong, especially in a group, but these guys were abnormally powerful. How could they use a PSI weapon or even PSI itself?

Lucas felt trapped and almost suffocating. He had to get out now. His hand sparked as he build up all his PK Love into his hand. The Pigmask Colonel seemed to be on alert.

"Get down!"

"PK Love!" Lucas shot out the strongest PK Love he could muster, the blue hexagon blast spread out and coated the entire area before exploding.

Lucas fell to his hands and knees, completely exhausted. He looked up again, seeing someone standing there in front of him in the midst of the smoke. It was his brother Claus, he was smiling at him before reaching out a hand to him.

"Come on, Lucas. Let's go home, back to where Mom is, she's waiting for us," Claus said kindly to his brother.

Lucas was looking at Claus, smiling, happy to see his brother was here and alright. But he said home where their mother was waiting. Lucas looked down at the purple grass as a memory came back to him. His mother was dead, she couldn't be waiting for them at home. Claus had disappeared long ago. And everything just looked messed up. Pigmasks knowing PSI, the people he knew were hurting him. Lucas had remembered the drink that girl in the cloak had given to him. He remembered, and he knew this wasn't real. He probably just assaulted the King of Dalaam for all his knew and helped the Pigmasks destroyed this place.

Lucas couldn't help but give a bitter laugh. If this wasn't Claus, then who was it? Who was standing before him holding out his hand right now? Lucas looked away from 'Claus'.

'Claus' suddenly vanished into thin air when Lucas silently rejected him. Lucas wondered how long will he be hallucinating like this? It's best if he didn't attack the 'Pigmasks' he saw right now.

The Pigmask Major crawled out of the smoke and looked at him, "Lucas…"

Lucas looked at the Pigmask Major, the one who had tried talking to him earlier, and even now he was still trying to talk to him. Whoever they were, they sounded really worried. They couldn't be a Pigmask, especially not if they were genuinely worried about him. Perhaps it was someone he knew, maybe it was a friend, for all he knew it could even be his father or Duster, maybe even Boney. Boney was with him last he remembered after all.

"I'm… I'm sorry…" Lucas said, unwanted tears threatening to come out of his eyes. "I'm so sorry…"

"Lucas!" The Pigmask Major caught him as he was falling.

"You're not… Pigmask, are you? I'm… sorry for attacking you…" Lucas said softly.

"Do you… not recognize me still, Lucas?" The 'Pigmask' asked in concern.

"I just… know you're a friend," Lucas said as he pushed away from the person. "Everything still looks weird… but I know I'm just hallucinating now… I'm sorry…"

The boy heard coughing from the other two 'Pigmasks', the ones who had used a PSI weapon and PSI itself on him. Lucas still couldn't tell who they were, but he knew they must be strong if they survived that PK Love. They probably even healed themselves.

"Hey… so uh… are we good? Is Lucas not going to attack us now?" The Pigmask Captain asked when he noticed Lucas had stopped.

"I'm sorry…" Lucas said sadly. "I'm now aware I'm hallucinating… but when I look at you, all I can see is a Pigmask. Do… with me… what you will… I don't deserve to be a soldier or a friend either way."


	16. Chapter 15: A Familiar Face

**DarkFoxKit:** Wow, we seem to be updating later. ^^' I guess we're getting a bit too distracted.

 **Connor:** Yeah, working on multiple works at once is different when one of them isn't a fanfic. :P But at least we're here now… right? I hope that everyone hasn't forgotten the story up to this point…

 **DarkFoxKit:** Well, I guess we better let you readers to the chapter then. We usually don't have much to say. ^^'

 **SolarShade:** **Connor:** Ah, well that's good. :) There are still a few accounts that I would like to remember the password to haha. We'll see if you're right about Ana. :) As for the differences between PK abilities… sort of? We don't spend a lot of time on stuff like that since it's honestly not super exciting, but we do keep in mind characters' relative strengths and weaknesses. Especially on my end, though, I figure that the chosen four are powerful enough to beat pretty much whomever so the fights tend to be like "Omg can Ness protect his family?" which focuses less on the strength of his abilities.

 **DarkFoxKit:** Since I'm working with Lucas, and this is before his own story, he's not as experienced as Ness and his friends, so he's more outclassed by them in terms of power. But this Lucas is a pretty good dodger to make up for it, Kumatora trained him hard on that.

 **Ninten64** **: DarkFoxKit:** Yeah, Fuel was the 'Pigmask' who didn't want to fight with Lucas. The Pigmask Colonel was Poo and the Pigmask Captain was Ness.

* * *

 **Chapter 15: A Familiar Face**

"Don't worry, Lucas!" Fuel said. "We're not going to hurt you. We know that it wasn't really you who attacked us."

Ness exchanged a glance with Poo. He didn't want to harm Lucas any more than Fuel did, but Lucas _was_ an American soldier. And since he was supposed to be Dalaam's prisoner, he didn't know how Poo would treat Lucas.

"Listen," Poo said to Lucas. "We're going to help you. Partially because we sympathize with your struggles, partially because we all need to team up against the pigmasks anyway, and partially because you can use PSI. If we can get rid of your hallucinations, will you fight with us?"

Lucas cringed, although Ness couldn't tell if he was distressed by his hallucinations or the thought of fighting the pigmasks.

"I don't..."

"Please, make up your mind," Poo said. "If you're not willing to help us, I'll use my time to save civilians who can't fend for themselves in the first place."

Ouch. Cold. But then again, Ness couldn't really blame him.

"You don't have to get directly involved with the fight," Ness said. "If you give us buffs and heal wounded civilians, it would still help us out a lot."

Lucas swallowed, nodding slowly.

"I… think that I can do that," Lucas said.

"Okay," Poo said. "Lucas, follow me. We're going to a place with special healing powers. It should rid you of your affliction."

Fuel raised an eyebrow.

"I know that it sounds silly, but trust us," Ness said. "Maybe the Pink Cloud will even heal Poo's poison."

"Already tried," Poo said, waving his hand in dismissal. "It slows the poison down but doesn't cure it. Hours spent in that Sanctuary overlooking the mountainside below are the only reason that I'm still alive right now."

Gunfire sounded from afar. Fuel stood up, stepping out from under the overhang and firing a few bullets before ducking down again.

"Pigmasks are coming," Fuel said. "We have to hurry."

"One more thing," Poo said. "You see the marks in the ground?"

Poo pointed to indents in the rocky terrain of the Dalaamian mountainside. They looked sharp, like someone had stabbed the rocks as they walked forward. The marks formed a clear path that looked somewhat similar to footprint tracks when viewed from afar. Ness frowned; no animal could leave footprints on the hard stone, and no animals walked with feet that would dig into the ground like blades.

"Something passed by here," Fuel said. "But it's not natural."

After a moment, Ness gasped.

"Hmm?" Poo said, turning his gaze towards Ness.

"It's got to be Pokey," Ness said.

"You mean Porky?" Fuel's eyes narrowed. "You know, the pigmask leader? I suppose that his mech would leave marks in the rock like that. I would love to take a couple shots at him."

Ness hesitated. Even when Pokey had aided Giygas directly and tried to kill him, Ness had never wanted Pokey dead. He remembered nights spent with the window open listening to Pokey sobbing as his parents yelled at him and beat him. The poor boy came to school with a new bruise every week. He always claimed that he slipped and fell, but it didn't take a detective to figure out the truth.

"I know how you feel about your former friend," Poo said, "But this isn't Pokey anymore. _Porky_ leads a fascist organization that increased tensions enough to cause your damned war against America. Killing him would be a mercy."

"All right," Ness said, trying to keep his expression neutral. "Let's follow the tracks. We should be able to tell which way he went by how his mech's feet dug into the rock."

"Good," Poo said. "I shall hopefully return with a healthy Lucas."

Ness looked at the row of Pokey's tracks and shook his head. Paula often called Ness' world simple and straightforward, and he could now see what she meant. In his books, friends didn't try to hurt each other. They would stand side by side no matter what happened. Ness could try to rationalize killing Pokey in dozens of ways, but each justification felt like a lie to himself.

He was going to betray his childhood friend, plain and simple.

"Are you all right?" Fuel asked, looking into Ness' eyes. "You looked like you were about to break down in tears there."

"I'm fine," Ness lied. "Let's go before we waste any more time."

* * *

After following the tracks for what felt like hours while Fuel shot any pigmasks in their path, Ness eventually arrived at an inhabited part of Dalaam. He tried not to grow frustrated with his slow pace and burning lungs, reminding himself that the low oxygen levels at this altitude weren't really his fault. Still, it was a wonder that he managed to restrain himself from sprinting towards the houses in the distance.

As Ness walked into what looked like a small shopping district, he saw pigmasks looting buildings and firing at Dalaamian citizens. Ness rushed in with his plasma sword, killing every pigmask that he saw out of rage while Fuel's rifle firing mirrored the sounds of pigmasks dropping in the distance.

Afterwards, tears came unbidden and ran down Ness' cheeks.

 _Come on, Ness!_ he told himself. _You can't show weakness, not now. Strong people hide their pain and sorrow under a mask. Strong people don't cry._

Ness took another look at all of the pigmasks that he killed and buried his face in his hands.

"Hey," Fuel said, walking up to Ness. "It looks like something's really bothering you."

 _Gee, you think?_ Ness almost snapped.

"At least this place hasn't been bombed," Fuel said. "The mountainside still looks so pretty from here."

Ness opened his eyes, looking down the slope at a sea of trees broken only by cerulean streams and rivers. Ness took a deep breath and turned back to Fuel.

"I think that I can pull myself together," Ness said.

" _It's okay to cry,"_ came a bark from nearby. " _You humans focus too much on how you appear to the outside world."_

Ness whirled around to spot Lucas' dog wagging his tail standing in front of two men. One wore a cowboy hat and carried a rifle while the other looked unarmed and walked with a limp.

"Flint," Fuel said, his voice even. "Duster. It's… nice to see you again."

"I wish the circumstances were different," Flint said. "You're not fighting with the Americans, are you?"

"No. I'm fighting against them. I'm fighting against you and Lucas."

" _What about Lucas?"_ Boney asked. " _Is he safe?"_

"Lucas is fine," Ness said. "My friend is taking him to a place that will cure him of the Tanetane mushrooms that he swallowed."

"Tanetane mushrooms?" Duster said, looking at Ness with wide eyes. "How did that happen?"

"We're not exactly sure," Fuel said. "Did you happen to see a boy in an armored mech nearby? We think that these are his tracks." Fuel pointed at the markings in the ground.

Flint and Duster exchanged a glance.

"You mean Porky?" Flint said. "We didn't even know he was here. This is bad news."

"We should continue with our plans to evacuate the Dalaamian citizens, then," Duster said. "If he's around, then it's even more vital to keep the civilians safe."

"Especially given how violent these pigmasks can be," Fuel said. "Ness and I just witnessed what looked like a raid from medieval times."

 _A raid from people with medival morals and modern technology…_ Ness thought. _Do I even want to live in this world?_

"I don't know if the people of Dalaam will trust us," Flint said, "But we have to try. Can't let this place become another Tazmily, you know?"

"Well, I wish you luck," Ness said. "Fuel and I are off to find Pokey and prevent him from doing any more harm."

Ness looked at the line of Pokey's tracks as it snaked through the district and towards the palace in the distance. Given how small the town of Dalaam was, Ness suspected that Pokey had already reached the palace. But what did he want there? Treasures, perhaps? Well, whatever he was up to, Ness had already resolved to stop him.

"Ness," Fuel said. "I don't think that I'll be much help against an armored mech. A sniper rifle can't punch holes through Porky's machine. In fact, I'll probably just hold you back by forcing you to protect me."

"You want to go with Duster and Flint," Ness said. It wasn't a question.

" _You don't know that,"_ Boney barked. " _Maybe he wants to spend some quality time with me instead."_

Ness pretended not to hear him.

"I…" Fuel blushed. "Flint used to help me out a lot back in Tazmily. I haven't seen him in a long time. And everything I said is true; I doubt that I'd be much use to you."

"If you want to keep your squad together, that's fine," Duster said. "But we _could_ use a bit of assistance. Flint's not a bad shot, but one man can't fend off a group of pigmasks."

"Trust me," Fuel said. "I'll pick off any pigmasks you need me to shoot before they even notice me."

"He _is_ one hell of a shot," Ness said. "Sure. Go ahead and help them. I just wish that we had radios or something so that we could find a way to meet up without searching for each other."

"Dalaam's a small town," Fuel said. "I'm sure we'll be fine."

 _I'm alone,_ Ness thought. _I have to face my childhood friend without anyone to help me._

It was probably for the best.

"Goodbye," Ness said. "You had better not die on me, all right?"

"I'll try my best," Fuel said, grinning from ear to ear. "You stay safe too, all right?"

"Safe?" Ness smiled back. "I'm as safe as a wolverine."

"That… doesn't really inspire confidence."

"I'm as _confident_ as a wolverine too."

"I said that you didn't _inspire…_ " Fuel shook his head. "You're an idiot. But seriously, you need to live and get your answers from Pirkle. I'm still not sure why he wanted me to betray you."

 _I don't know either,_ Ness thought, _And I'm trying not to think about it right now. Thanks for reminding me, Fuel._

Instead of saying those words, Ness just nodded.

"See you," Fuel said.

" _Nice to meet you again!"_ Boney barked. " _I'll make sure that Lucas is on his best behavior the next time that you two meet."_

"Thanks, Boney," Ness said dryly.

Flint, Duster, Fuel, and Boney walked off, checking buildings for civilians. Ness looked at Pokey's tracks in front of him.

"No use in putting it off," Ness said to himself. "I'm coming after you, Pokey. I wish that we could meet each other under different circumstances, but it can't be helped."

* * *

Lucas was following the 'Pigmask Colonel' who called himself 'Poo'. Lucas remembered where he heard that name. Ninten had told him that Poo was the Prince of Dalaam. Lucas wanted to slap himself for being stupid enough to actually attack the prince, even if he was hallucinating.

They were were going through a cavern of sorts, or at least Lucas thinks it is. The cavern was also pink, purple and blue around him, not a natural color for caverns. Lucas rubbed the temples of his head.

"You doing okay back there?" Poo asked.

"Y-yeah," Lucas said. "The neon colors are just hurting my eyes."

"Those must be some powerful hallucinations if that's what you see," Poo said. "Don't worry, we're almost there."

Lucas saw there was an exit out of the colorful caverns. When they came outside, Lucas saw a big green cloud under his feet and the orange sky above him. Lucas looked around before realizing he was indeed standing on a cloud… or he could just be hallucinating that he was.

"Where are we?" Lucas asked. "It looks like a green cloud to me."

"Well, you're half right," Poo said. "We are on Pink Cloud, one of the sacred Sanctuary in the world."

"Sanctuary?" Lucas asked.

"To put it in short; it's a place where people with PSI can come to when they want to heal," Poo said. "This should help revitalize you from our battle and cure you from the hallucinations."

Lucas almost couldn't believe it, they were standing on a cloud? How was that even possible? Lucas felt nice and comfortable. The boy felt like he could just fall asleep here. After a few seconds, he felt energized, like he just came out of a hot spring. Lucas closed his eyes for a few a second before opening them back up to see the colors had changed. The sky was blue and the cloud was pink. Surprised, Lucas looked over at Poo to see he no longer looked like a Pigmask Colonel, but instead the same robe wearing boy he had seen in the palace a while back.

"So, how are you feeling now, Lucas?" Poo asked.

Lucas took a deep breath and let it out. It was really nice here, he almost wished he could stay here forever.

"I feel a lot better," Lucas said. "I don't think I'm hallucinating anymore."

"That's good, if you're feeling better then we should hurry and make our way back to the village," Poo said.

Lucas nodded.

The two of them hurried back into the cavern. Lucas could see the place was just a normal cave, with gray rocks and rock formations. With Lucas revitalized, he and Poo were running quickly. They both made it out of the cavern only to see someone was standing up ahead.

"Huh? Who's that?" Poo said when they stopped.

Lucas stared at the figure standing in front of them, not daring to believe his eyes. Maybe he was still hallucinating after all. Because the figure standing before them was wearing an American soldier uniform, complete with the plasma sword. That's not what shocked Lucas, it's the fact they were not wearing a helmet, because the face of this particular soldier was very familiar.

"... I was ordered to not let you interfere," The soldier said to them.

"..." Lucas couldn't stop staring at the soldier, still not sure if he was hallucinating or not.

"Stand down," Poo said. "You're with the American's, right? Why would you help the Pigmasks?"

"I only follow orders of my superior," The soldier said. "I don't care about which side I'm fighting on or the outcome. I will only follow orders of my superior whatever they may be."

"I don't have time for this!" Poo hissed. "I'll force you out of my way then. Lucas, are you with me?"

"Y-yeah," Lucas said, sounding unsure.

"I know you don't want to face someone you fought along side with, but you can't hesitate right now," Poo said. "Innocent lives are at stake."

Lucas frowned but nodded. _I have to be hallucinating, there's no way that could be…_

The soldier ran up to them, slashing his plasma sword at Poo. Poo countered with his PSI. Lucas ran up at the soldier with his stick, but couldn't swing at the soldier. The soldier noticed Lucas and slammed his plasma sword back at him.

Lucas fell back a bit before putting up a Shield. The soldier's next attack bounced off the shield, reducing the damage. Lucas was still looking at him.

"Why are you holding out on me?" The soldier asked. "I've seen you fight, you are stronger than this."

Lucas still wasn't sure how he should approach this subject, especially since they're in the middle of a fight.

Poo ran up at the soldier and punched him from behind. The soldier hissed in pain as he fell back. Lucas's eyes widen as he saw Poo about to slam another fist into the soldier.

"Wait!" Lucas grabbed his arm and stopped the punch.

"What? Lucas, are you against me now?" Poo demanded.

"N-no, but please don't hurt him," Lucas said, letting go of his arm. "Please… just let me ask him something first."

Poo frowned but said, "Well make it quick, we have to go."

Lucas nodded before turning to the soldier. The soldier looked up at Lucas with a questionable expression.

"What do you want?" The soldier demanded. "If you want to interrogate me, I have nothing to say."

"It's not that…" Lucas said, still looking at the soldier's face. "... Are you… Claus?"

"What?" The soldier, who looked like Claus, asked in confusion.

"Is that your name?" Lucas asked again. "Is your name 'Claus'?"

"Why… why would you ask me that?" The Claus look-alike demanded.

"Because of your face," Lucas pointed out.

"I don't understand, what does my face have to do with anything?" The possibly Not-Claus demanded, putting a gloved hand on his cheek.

"You look like… me," Lucas said. "But more than that, you look like my… long lost twin brother, Claus. I just… need to know if that's who you are. I haven't seen my brother in three years."

Claus(?) was staring at Lucas now. The two of them stared at each other in silence. Lucas looking both hopeful and anxious while Claus(?) was looking like he was thinking about something.

Poo looked between the two, he only now realized the resemblance between them. And if he looked deeper, he could also sense their PSI were very similar to each other, almost the same with some style of differences.

Poo whispered to Lucas, "You can stay here with him. I'll go on ahead, you're free to come find us when you feel ready."

Lucas gave a slight nod to Poo before he walked passed Claus(?). Surprisingly, the young soldier let Poo go, either that or he was too focused on Lucas to notice him passing by.

* * *

With just the two of them there, Lucas finally said, "You _are_ Claus, aren't you? This isn't a hallucination anymore, is it? Claus… do you remember me?"

Claus was still staring at Lucas before he said, "... No, I don't know who you are. Stop calling me by that name."

"You disappeared for three years, Claus," Lucas said. "I don't know what happened to you, but it looks like whoever took you away trained you a little _too_ good. Why else would you be willing to help the Pigmasks? They're the ones who killed Mom!"

"Shut up!" Claus snapped. "I don't need to listen to you! You're just a crybaby!"

Lucas gave a small chuckle, "Yes, I am a crybaby. I'm weak, and I don't like fighting. But why would a soldier call me that unless they already knew me?"

Claus held out his plasma sword at Lucas. "I don't know what your game is, but I won't stand for it anymore. I let the prince get away because you distracted me, so I'll be sure to make you pay for that in blood."

Lucas took a step back, he couldn't believe that he would have to fight against his own brother, a brother he hadn't seen in three years. Claus jumped at Lucas and slammed his plasma sword at him. Lucas's shield cracked before it broke. The boy jumped back, trying to dodge, but Claus was much faster. It was clear Claus had been training far longer than Lucas had.

The blond haired brother brought out his stick to defend himself as Claus brought down the plasma sword on his throat. The enhanced stick was the only thing keeping the sword from slicing his neck. Lucas used his strength to try and push Claus off him.

"Claus, please stop this!" Lucas yelled as he was trying to push Claus back. "This isn't you."

"You don't know anything about me!" Claus snapped. "I don't know you!"

Lucas felt hurt from this statement, but he continued, "But I know _you_. You're Claus, there's no mistake. I can sense your PSI, it's just like mine. You can sense it too, right? And I can tell you're Claus, because you're my twin brother, even if it's been three years since we last saw each other."

"I told you to shut up!" Claus yelled, pushing his sword. "What are you hoping to accomplish with this!?"

"I just… want my brother back," Lucas said sadly.

"Well, I'm not your brother, get it!? I've never seen you before in my life until now! I've been working for the cloaked figure for as long as I can rememb-" Claus stopped as his eyes went wide, he hadn't meant to let that slip.

Lucas looked up at him before Claus jumped away, frowning, "... Sloppy, I can't believe I just let that slip, and to _you_ of all people!"

"Claus, I-" Lucas began to say.

"Shut it!" Claus snapped before summoning a lightning bolt to shock Lucas, causing him to fall back a bit.

"Ugh!"

"Stop calling me that!" Claus growled. "I don't know how you got me to slip up that information, but I won't let you-"

"Claus!" Lucas yelled as he stood back up, looking at him. "I don't care about any of that! I don't want to partake in this senseless war, and I don't want to fight with you. I just miss you, Claus, even if you don't remember me or your life with me."

Claus glared back at him. Lucas didn't stand down, instead he started approaching him. "Stay away from me, I told you that you don't know a thing about m-"

"You like omelets," Lucas said suddenly.

Claus stopped and stared at him.

"You like running fast and getting things done," Lucas continued. "You had a scar on your back after an incident with a boar. You also like tackling big animals like the Dragos."

Claus was looking scared now. He began firing PK Thunder at Lucas. The boy took each bolt of lightning. Lucas didn't seem to care, each time he was knocked down, he kept getting right back up.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Claus yelled. "You… you stay away from me!" He shut his ears with his hands, letting go of his plasma sword and dropping it.

"You are my twin brother Claus, that's why… no matter what… I would always love you," Lucas said, feeling weak from all those PK Thunders he took. He kept his stamina up with Lifeup.

"My superior and I are working with the Pigmasks, you know!" Claus said, glaring at Lucas. "The very beings that you absolutely hate!"

Lucas looked down, but when he looked up again, he kept smiling. "I don't care… I still love you, Claus."

"Why!? Why do you care so much about me!?" Claus yelled again.

"Because you're my brother… and someone precious to me," Lucas said as he stumbled in front of Claus. "That's why I don't want to fight you."

Claus looked up at Lucas's blue eyes. They held such sincerity, such forgiveness and such love that it almost hurt.

"If you must kill me, then fine," Lucas said. "But please… do it as yourself, Claus."

Claus backed away from Lucas, before he pushed a small button on his shoulder strap. A pair of metallic wings appeared on the backpack of his back. Claus took off into the sky with the jetwings, trying to get away from Lucas.

"Claus! CLAUS! DON'T LEAVE ME AGAIN!" Lucas yelled, trying to reach out for his flying away brother. "Claus…"

Lucas shook his head as he looked down, he was a mess from those lightning bolts. Still, he didn't care about that. What mattered to him was that he finally found Claus again, he's alive and even though he didn't remember him, Lucas was glad to see his brother again.

"I'll find a way to save you, Claus," Lucas said to himself before he picked up the plasma sword Claus dropped and left behind. This sword worked better than the stick as it didn't eat up as much of his PSI reserve to keep it from breaking. "But… I have a promise to keep first…"

Following the sound of fighting not too far away, Lucas ran to catch up to Poo, Ness and Fuel, hoping they're doing okay until he got there.

 _Until then… please wait for me… Claus._


	17. Chapter 16: The Lost

**DarkFoxKit:** Well, here we are, finally. How many weeks has it been?

 **Connor:** Too many. We've been off so long that even I've forgotten the plot. D:

 **DarkFoxKit:** Heh. ^^' How did we keep forgetting to update?

 **Connor:** College life is busy. And then there's the fact that I'm allergic to something in my own room so I spend all of my time wandering around in libraries and stuff.

 **DarkFoxKit:** That's gotta be tough. D: I've been busy writing for the most part. A hope-to-be published book, and my Child of Mew series. Well, we'll try not to neglect this story too much. ^^'

 **Connor:** Yeah, let's answer reviews (and writing your own book sounds awesome too!). :)

 **Ninten64** **: DarkFoxKit:** Heh, well we'll see if Lucas will save Claus. And Porky… don't expect too much from him other than antagonizing everyone.

 **PKtofuMaster:** **Connor:** Hello, friend. :) As for Poo… yeah, everything will be revealed eventually. Yes, being poisoned and faced with Porky generally doesn't yield positive results. And I can tell you think that way about Poo by the way you portray him in your fics. The Poo I write tends to be more outside of the Dalaamian system, looking back in almost as an outsider himself. Hopefully his portrayal here and in Ceres meets your expectations. Yep, there's not _too_ much we can really do with Porky's character, and the temporary alliance between the two sides may not extend far past Ness' and Lucas' small groups…

 **DarkFoxKit:** Hey, it's always good to hear from you! So, about Lucas's backstory, this happened before he went out to pull the seven Needles, hence why he's not as strong as Ness or Ninten in this story. Porky knows about the Needles, but he… well, let's just say he didn't have the means to pull them. Lucas had seen the Masked Man before, but he never interacted with him until now. The Masked Man had been watching Lucas fighting against Poo and Ness when he was under the influence of the Tanetane Mushrooms, that's what he meant by 'I've seen you fight'. You're pretty much right with the storyline of the AU for each character.

 **Piquantea** **:** **DarkFoxKit:** Heh, well, them's the breaks. ^^' I hope that wasn't your only laptop you threw against the wall.

* * *

 **Chapter 16: The Lost**

Lucas was gripping onto the plasma sword tightly. It was proof that Claus wasn't dead, that his brother was still out there, lost and confused. Lucas swore that he would find Claus no matter what, and until then he had to fight and live.

There were a lot of crashing noises coming from the Dalaamian Palace. Not hesitating, the boy hurried inside. The place was a mess and broken down, but ahead of him was some kind of ball-like mecha with spider-like legs that were crushing the rubble, and the unfortunate people who were unable to escape.

"Heheh, it's been a while since I was able to get out and crush people and buildings like this. Those saps on Nowhere Island got so complacent that it was hardly worth trying to torment them anymore."

Lucas gritted his teeth and tighten his grip on the plasma sword's handle. He recognized that voice all too well, the obnoxious voice of a certain chubby boy who goes by the name 'Porky'.

"Hmm?" The mecha stopped before it turned around. "Well, well, well, lookie who decided to finally show up. You were that crybaby boy back on that primitive Tazmily Village place. I remember how much you cried when you were screaming for your mommy and brother."

Lucas glared, feeling anger boiling up inside him. Lucas remembered Porky alright. Porky was there, laughing at him while they killed his mother and took away his brother.

"So I heard you ran away from home. Hah! What's wrong? Tired of playing with my minions?" Porky laughed.

"Why are you here?" Lucas demanded. "You already took over Nowhere Island, why did you come to Dalaam?"

"Oh? You want to know? Heh, fine, I guess I can tell you," Porky said. "It's simple… I got bored. There was nothing to do once all the people on Nowhere Island just did everything I said. So I thought it was time to conquer someplace else, somewhere more fun. I got the idea from some cloaked figure."

"How dare you… hurting and killing people just on a whim…" Lucas seethed. "You're the worst!"

Lucas ran at the mecha Porky was in before slamming the plasma sword into it. The mecha was hit back a few feet.

"Oho! You've gotten some fangs since we last met!" Porky said. "Maybe you won't be so boring after all!"

Porky's mecha jumped and tried to body slam down on Lucas. Lucas moved out of the way as the mecha slammed onto the ground, leaving a large crate. Lucas turned and stabbed at the mecha with the plasma sword, leaving a small dent. Porky's mecha moved its feet before a bomb came out and was thrown at Lucas. Lucas gasped before putting up a shield around himself. The explosion causing Lucas to fall back a few feet.

"Offense Up!" Lucas had an orange glow around his body before charging in at Porky's mecha again and swiped his sword.

One of the mecha's legs was sliced, causing it to start imbalancing. Porky, not one to give up so easily, tossed out several more bombs at Lucas before stabbing one of the other legs at the boy. Lucas moved to dodge the bombs, but he was tripped up by one of the legs and another bomb exploded at him, causing his shield to shatter.

"I don't care what you've been through. A weak crybaby will always be a weak crybaby," Porky sneered. "You're nothing like your brother!"

Lucas's eyes widen.

"Yes, I know that look alike is your brother," Porky laughed. "He was strong but oh so easy to break. He fell under the brainwashing quite easily!"

"That was you?" Lucas should've known that Porky had Claus with him all along since he disappeared the same time the Pigmasks ambushed them and killed his mother.

"And he made for a great soldier! It's only too bad he was taken away from me before I could put my final plans in action," Porky said. "I could've used him to pull the Needles and awaken the Dragon so I can remake this ugly world in my image."

 _The Needles and the Dragon… I can't believe those things were brought up again. He was going to use Claus to awaken the Dragon?_ Lucas stood up and glared. _No matter what… I can't let him get away for this._

"Aww, what's the matter, Lucas? Did I hurt your little feelings?" Porky mocked.

"You might want to be careful whose feelings you hurt, Pokey," A voice said.

"I told you, pig's butt, my name is Porky now!" Porky snapped.

Lucas looked behind the mecha to see Ness was approaching them. Ness was looking at Porky with a sadden look.

"Pokey… why are you doing this?" Ness asked. "What happened to you?"

"Oh shut it, you sentimental idiot!" Porky snapped. "You know darn well what happened to me! You and your psychic and genius friends just left me behind like I was nothing but yesterday's news. You abandoned me when I needed you the most. Admit it, Ness, you only saw me as an annoyance, didn't you? But when I became a real threat thanks to Giygas, you decided to try and kill me. Don't lie and say you didn't, because I know you were striking to kill."

"You weren't giving me a choice, Pokey!" Ness snapped. "You were trying to kill _us_ too, and we had to stop Giygas no matter the cost!"

"Oh, so I'm not important, is that it?" Porky laughed before he frowned. "... You were the only friend I had, you know. If there's one thing you taught me, Ness, it's that everyone will betray you eventually, especially those closest to you."

Ness had a pale look on his face.

Lucas looked at Ness's guilty look and at Porky. Basically what Porky was saying was that it was all Ness's fault he turned out the way he did, and from the look on Ness's face he knew it too.

"But it doesn't matter to me," Porky said. "Not anymore. This ugly world will soon be remade one way or another. Humans will get their just reward. And it _will_ be in the hands of someone with PK Love. There are only two in the world who has such a power."

Lucas gasped when Porky turned back to him, "And little blondie here is one of them."

"What makes you think I'd end the world, _especially_ for you?" Lucas growled.

"It doesn't have to be for me," Porky said. "It's just destiny, plain and simple. Just like how it was Ness's destiny to defeat Giygas. No matter how much you fight it, destiny will _always_ find a way to make it happen."

"No!" Lucas yelled. "It doesn't have to be that way!"

"Says you, you naive kid," Porky sneered. "Even after all you've seen and done, you still believe in a fairytale ending. I envy you for that."

"PK Starstorm!" Another voice shouted.

The ceiling began to rain meteorites at Porky's mecha, crashing down and tearing it apart. Lucas and Ness had to run and duck down to avoid the debris and flying metal. By the time the attack was done, all that was left of Porky's mecha was the dome. It sat there, uselessly, sparking and smoking. Porky himself was still inside the cracked dome.

Lucas and Ness looked up to see Poo coming towards them.

"I've heard enough," Poo said. "You say the world will end by someone with PK Love? Why would that be?"

Porky gave a sadistic grin despite being trapped in a useless mecha and surrounded by three powerful PSI users.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Porky said. "You're the type who believes in destiny or fate, don't you? You know how pointless it is to stop it."

Poo gritted his teeth before he said, "This is one fate I will not accept."

"Well too bad," Porky said. "Just like how you won't accept that Dalaam's done."

"What?" Poo frowned.

"Oh, you didn't know? I figured with your fancy shamncy Mu training you would've figured it out," Porky said. "My Pigmasks set a nuclear bomb to explode here, wiping everything in this place from existence."

Lucas put his hand over his mouth in horror. Ness stared at Porky in horror shock, as if not wanting to believe he would do such a thing.

Poo punched the glass dome, shattering it, before grabbing Porky's shirt and lifting him up to his face. "Where is it? When will it detonate!?"

"Heh, who knows," Porky said, still grinning despite the threatening position he was in. "It could be at any moment since you wasted all this time on little ol' me."

Lucas gasped as he remembered Flint, Boney and Duster were still here. He ran out of the palace faster than he ever ran before. Lucas had to get to his comrades before this nuclear bomb explodes. He vaguely heard Ness calling for him, but he was more concerned with finding his friends and father.

* * *

Looking around Dalaam, Lucas heard what sounded like a dog barking. The boy ran to the barking as quickly as possible, stumbling along the way. He saw Boney with an injured Flint.

"Dad! Boney!" Lucas yelled as he ran over to them. "We have to go! There's a bomb and it's going to blow!"

"What?" Flint frowned. "I can't move, Lucas!"

"Wh- Ah!" Lucas saw half of his father's body was covered in rubble.

" _I've been calling for help to get Flint out! I can't pull him out myself!"_ Boney barked.

"Where's Duster?" Lucas asked.

Boney whined before Flint said, "Duster was crushed under the rubble when he pushed me out of the way… but I'm still stuck."

"Duster? DUSTER!" Lucas yelled at the rocks. "No… he can't be dead! He still hadn't found that thing he was looking for!"

"Lucas!" Flint yelled to get his son's attention. "If there _is_ a bomb here, then we can't worry about Duster right now. I need to get out if we want to leave together."

Lucas used the plasma sword he was holding to destroy the rocks that covered his dad. When he did, he saw Duster lying there.

"Duster!" Lucas yelled, grabbing the man's arm. "Lifeup!"

Nothing happened. Lucas shook his head, "No… you can't… die…"

And suddenly, as if a miracle happened, Duster slowly opened his eyes, "... L… Lucas…"

"Duster!"

"Lucas… I'm… afraid it's… too late for me… even with… your PSI… everything… is crushed…" Duster said. "Listen… if you ever… f-find… a glowing egg… take it… don't let… anyone else… have it… it's a dangerous… weapon… it can be used… to manipulate people's… memories… I… I was… supposed to find it… but… ah well… take care… Lu… cas…"

"Duster!" Lucas yelled when Duster went limp.

Boney was barking again as Ness and Poo ran towards them.

"We gotta go!" Ness said. "Come on!"

Poo grabbed onto Boney and Flint while Ness ran over to Lucas, who was still trying to shake Duster's body.

"No! We can't leave him!" Lucas yelled. "He needs to live!"

"It's too late for him, Lucas!" Ness yelled as he grabbed Lucas's arm. "If we don't get out of here now, we're all dead!"

"Hurry up you two!" Poo yelled. "Teleport Beta!"

Poo ran in a circle while still holding onto Flint and Boney before he disappeared.

The cloaked figure was watching them from afar, seeing Ness trying to pull the struggling Lucas who wanted to save his dead friend.

"Aww, looks like time is up," The cloaked figure said before they held up a device with a button on it.

The cloaked person pushed the button and the bombs began to explode.

Lucas gasped as the place began to explode around them. The shock was enough for Ness to pull Lucas and began running.

"Teleport!" Ness yelled as he and Lucas shot down the exploding mountain at lightning speed before they disappeared just before the entire place exploded.

* * *

The first thing that Ness noticed after arriving back in the city of Fourside was the smell of flames. He adopted a combat stance by reflex, summoning his plasma sword. The blade hummed as light rain misted past Ness' face. He squinted, trying to count the roaring flames of buildings in the distance.

"Lucas. Do you know what's happening?"

"I… don't. What is this place?"

Ness studied Lucas' surprised expression. The kid didn't _seem_ to be lying, at least.

"This is Fourside, capital of Eagleland." An explosion sounded in the distance. "And I think that it's under attack."

"Under attack? Who would…"

"Take a wild guess." Ness walked forward, closing his eyes and feeling the raindrops roll off of his skin."Who's at war with Eagleland again?"

"Ninten didn't tell me about this."

"That doesn't mean-"

"He _wouldn't_ burn your city to the ground like this. Why would we do it?"

"It's simple," came a woman's voice from behind Ness. "Someone manipulated us."

Ness whirled around, opening his eyes. A pink-haired woman stood just a few paces behind him and Lucas, despite the fact that he hadn't heard any footsteps approaching. And behind her stood…

"Paula!" Ness said, noticing her standing next to the woman. "You're all right!"

"M-Miss Kumatora?" Lucas said.

Paula's face lit up. She ran forward and embraced Ness in a hug.

"Oh, you're safe," she said. "I'm so glad."

Lucas kept his eyes trained on Paula as he backed away one step at a time.

"She's not going to hurt you," Kumatora said. "Believe it or not, she finally came to her senses."

"And it wasn't any easier with your aggressive attitude," Paula said, rolling her eyes.

Ness braced himself for what Kumatora would do next, but she only smirked back.

"Glad to see that you still have your edge, at least," Kumatora said. "When you surrendered yourself and told me everything I wanted to know, I thought that you'd lost your nerve."

"You did _what?_ " Ness said.

"Why resist and end up killing more people?" Paula said. "We were going to lose. Anyone could see that."

"But to _help_ the enemy…"

"We have enemies on both sides." Paula's expression hardened. "Pirkle betrayed us, Ness. I didn't feel bad in the slightest about giving away all of his slimy secrets."

"She even surrendered the city," Kumatora said. "As much as I'd like to chalk it up to cowardice, she _did_ save thousands of lives. This is tame compared to what it could have been."

"See, Lucas?" Paula said. "I'm not _that_ terrible of a person. And… I'm sorry for what happened, and for what I did. You were completely blameless in Frank's death."

Lucas blushed. Ness guessed that he didn't have much practice in accepting apologies.

"You surrendered the city?" Ness said. "But this is the capital of Eagleland. So…" _We basically lost the war while I was gone._

Paula shot a look at Kumatora.

"I think we should show him," Paula said.

Kumatora nodded, taking a long look at Lucas.

"I think that both of the boys could benefit from seeing what this war truly means. Teleport alpha."

Ness felt his legs move without him commanding them to, starting off in a jog next to Paula and the others but eventually taking off in a full sprint. As the wind whipped past his face, Ness' feet left the ground and he flew through the air, looking at the buildings below…

 _That's strange,_ Ness thought right before he warped away. _I should be able to see the Monotoli Building from here._

Ness' uncertainty became answered when he appeared right in front of the Monotoli Building after the teleportation.

Or at least, what was left of it.

The structure that once stood almost 50 floors tall only came up to Ness' waist. Despite the rain, the base of the Monotoli Building was on fire.

"This doesn't make any sense," Ness said. "Okay, so you destroyed the Monotoli Building, but where did it _go?_ "

"Look around you," Paula said.

Ness frowned but did as instructed. Scanning the area around him, he saw quite a few scraps of metal and wood, but nothing that would resemble a fallen building.

"No way," Lucas said, his soft voice barely overpowering the _plops_ of raindrops. "We didn't just topple the building. We…"

"You destroyed it," Ness said. "All of this scrap metal, and probably a good deal more…"

"Psionic power is difficult to control," Kumatora said. "And the general wanted the Monotoli Building _ravaged._ Most of the new PSI-users didn't know how to hold themselves back."

"How many PSI-users do you _have?_ " Ness said.

"Did you think that Merrysville was our only base of operation?" Kumatora said with a smile.

 _Well… Yes._

"We have _hundreds_ of PSI-users _,_ Ness. Most of them are children. Many are younger than you."

Lucas stiffened.

"I never heard…"

"Didn't want you doling out special information," Kumatora said. "Although Ninten was tempted to just do it himself. He alway said that we wouldn' have started this war if Eagleland knew just how powerful we were."

"She explained it to me," Paula said. "America's become accustomed to PSI for longer than we have. They hushed up the story about Ninten saving the world and amassed an army of PSI-users in secret. The reason Ninten recruited people like Lucas here was to _save_ them from falling into the hands of the American Government."

"We did this while hardly breaking a sweat," Kumatora said, gesturing towards the scraps of metal lying around. "America's wanted Eagleland under its thumb for some time now. We wanted to be the _only_ ones with access to PSI. As it stands, our military right now is practically invincible."

"So do you see why I killed Pirkle with my own two hands and surrendered the city?" Paula said.

"You killed Pirkle?"

"The idiot wanted to keep fighting while _he_ flew away in a private helicopter. And when I discovered how he sent Fuel to kill you…"

 _Fuel!_ Ness thought. _Wait, where is he? He wasn't with Poo and the others…_

A sinking feeling entered Ness' gut. He had probably lost another friend, and he couldn't even find the tears to mourn with.

"Didn't make any sense at first," Kumatora said, shaking her head.

"It still doesn't make any sense now," Ness said. "Even if Pirkle hates me, why would he want me dead? I'm useful to him alive."

"Yeah, I'm having a little bit of difficulty believing the whole story myself. But if your little friend here is telling the truth…"

"Okay," Ness said, "You had better fill us, because I'm totally lost."

"That sounds prudent, doesn't it?" Paula said. "What do you say, O Miss Divine Leader?"

Kumatora pursed her lips but didn't take the bait.

"Yes, let's go to a secure location and discuss what's happened." Another explosion sounded in the distance. "You should come too, Lucas. Teleport!"

* * *

The stark contrast from rainy, burning Fourside to the sunny sky above took Ness off guard. He looked at the stone fortress that loomed above. He knew that he had seen it before, but he had gone so many places in the past couple of months that he couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was.

"Osohe Castle," Lucas said. Turning away and looking past the closed gates, "So Tazmily is just that way."

"And likely still infested with pigmasks," Kumatora said. "But none of them come here. This castle is haunted, you see. It scares them away"

"Ah, using dangerous reputations to your advantage," Paula said. "I need to try that trick more often. Superstition often gets the better of even logical people."

"Superstition?" Kumatora said. "Who says that it's not _actually_ haunted?"

Paula frowned, but followed as Kumatora entered the castle. Ness and Lucas exchanged a glance. Lucas shrugged and walked in after Paula.

 _I guess if everyone else's going…_

Ness walked inside the entrance, looking around at the red carpets and stone hallways inside. Kumatora walked forward and started fiddling with a statue. After a few moments, Ness heard a click and the bottom part of a statue opened up into a slide that led into the darkness.

"Still got it," Kumatora said. "Riding these things over and over again filled countless hours of my childhood. I was a pretty lonely kid." She turned back to the others. "Follow me down, Paula and Ness. Lucas, you stay up here."

"What?" Lucas said. "Why?"

"Because this is classified information and you're just a soldier."

"But Ness is…" Lucas trailed off, looking at Ness.

"An enemy, but an enemy that we _need._ I don't need to gain your loyalty, and the fewer people who hear this, the better."

Lucas' shoulders sagged.

"All right," he said.

"Thanks for understanding, soldier." Kumatora flashed a grin and hopped into the slide.

"Looks like a long way down," Paula said, peering into the darkness. "Well, here goes nothing."

Paula jumped in after Kumatora, leaving Ness and Lucas alone.

"Well, if _she_ trusts Kumatora enough to jump into a black pit, I suppose I can."

Ness took a deep breath and dove feet first into the pit after a running start. For a few seconds, Ness couldn't see a thing. His heart pounded in his chest as he tucked his arms in and braced himself for the worst.

Eventually, he saw a light at the end of the slide. He let out a half scream, half cheer, and the slide delivered him to the floor of another room in sitting position. Because the steepness of the slide decreased during the final part of the slide, he didn't need to brace himself against hitting the floor. However, it _did_ mean that he flew out of the slide and nearly fell flat on his face.

Ness breathed a sigh of relief, looking around the room. Several slides like the one he just entered through led to the location from what Ness assumed were various spots in the castle. A ladder up to a doorway provided the only way to exit. In the middle of the room lay a bubbling hot spring. Paula sat by the edge while Kumatora stood in the hot spring itself. The steam obscured some of her expression; her head was the only part of her body sticking out of the water.

"Ah, it's nice in here," Kumatora said. "Anyone else want to take a dip?"

"Uh…" the water looked hot enough to burn Ness' skin.

"Is that a no? You people are no fun."

"So," Paula said. "The story?"

"Right," Kumatora said. "Paula found coded messages in Pirkle's office. He told her how to read them before…" Kumatora looked at Paula. "Yeah. Basically, someone was sending Pirkle detailed instructions."

"Things like hold 'Fourside,'" Paula said. "'Send someone to eliminate Ness. Spew propaganda against the Americans.' Well, except in a lot more detail."

"This person wanted to cause a lot of chaos," Kumatora said. "And their plan worked spectacularly."

"But why?" Ness said. "What do they gain?"

"At first, I thought that they wanted to profiteer off of war," Kumatora said. "But it goes deeper than that."

"Apparently, this person told the Americans that we had nuclear weapons ready in Fourside to use," Paula said. "Pirkle said that we didn't, and I believe him, but it caused the Americans to sack our capital city anyway."

"We also think that this person is responsible for creating this damned war itself," Kumatora said. "The terrorist attack in Ellay, the assassination of various individuals on both sides, including your friend Jeff… it points to one person."

"So he engineered the deaths of thousands," Ness said. "Maybe millions."

 _And now, maybe I'll have the chance to meet with Jeff's killer. I'm looking forward to it._

"In fact," Ness said, looking up at the ceiling. "He might be responsible for the attacks on Dalaam as well."

"Attacks against _Dalaam?"_ Paula said. "You'll have to tell me the story behind that later."

"Regardless," Kumatora said, looking at Ness. "You may want to be careful which pronoun you use to refer to this master manipulator of ours."

"Huh?"

"We think it's a woman," Paula said. "And someone that neither of us want to admit caused all of this."

"Have you ever heard of someone named Ana Rosewell?" Kumatora asked.

"She was one of the four heroes to _originally_ defeat Giygas, right?" Ness said.

"Yep. We don't have much information about her as it is. Born in Snowman. Helped Ninten defeat Giygas. Disappeared without a trace a couple years later."

"Okay," Ness said, crossing his arms over his chest, "But what makes you think that this is her and not anyone else?"

"The culprit knows PSI," Paula said. "What's more, she knows the _exact_ PSI that Ana did. When you met her in Merrysville, she shot a beam to drill a hole through the building, right?"

"I… suppose so."

"Ana's the only person we don't have tabs on who knows that move," Kumatora said. "She speaks with an American accent, and we have all American PSI-users except her locked down."

"Still, that's not hard proof."

"She sent Ninten a message. It read, 'Come meet me in Chernobyl. You know who I am.'"

"Chernobyl…" a shiver ran down Ness' spine. "That was the site of that nuclear disaster, right?"

"Yeah, but that's not the important part," Kumatora said. "Right when Ninten saw that note, his face paled. He bolted off straight to Chernobyl and left me in charge, which would be… frowned upon if the military found out."

 _And the fact that you're soaking in a hot spring instead of actually leading your PSI-users probably doesn't improve the situation,_ Ness thought.

"Think about it, Ness," Paula said. "Someone with PK Beam who speaks in an American accent yet isn't in any of their records _and_ knows Ninten well enough to know how to hit where it hurts. Is there really any question about who we're dealing with here?"

"I… guess there isn't."

"Well then," Kumatora said, stepping out of the hot spring. "That's been a nice talk. Are you willing to go aid Ninten and find out what Ana's up to?"

"Why would I do your dirty work for you?"

"Because we have a personal stake in this too," Paula said, looking down at the ground. "She killed Jeff and caused the deaths of countless people. And considering what you were talking to Jeff about…"

"Oh no." A chill ran down Ness' spine. "She wants her hands on a nuclear fusion bomb. She wants to create even more powerful weapons than the ones used in the last Great War."

"Yep," Kumatora said. "The American Government wouldn't let us send any people over to somewhere dangerous like Chernobyl. And since Ninten's wandering off on his own, I don't want to upset them by getting involved myself, despite how fun it would be. But if two rogue Eagleish PSI-users go off by their own decision…"

"I see," Ness said. "You're locked down, and we're free to do what we want." Ness looked at Paula. "I'm in this with you. I'd like to say that I don't care about avenging Jeff, but… Someone needs to give her a little talking-to."

"All right!" Paula said, flashing a hungry grin. "It will be so nice to work as a team again."

"I just have one request before we go."

"Yes?"

"I want to visit my family. They deserve to know that I'm going into a city filled with deadly radiation."


	18. Chapter 17: Deciding One's Fate

**DarkFoxKit:** Does it feel like it's been a busy year? It's been a busy year… even though it just started. ^^'

 **Connor:** Yep. School's busy, writing's busy… But of course, busy isn't necessarily bad. "Not necessarily bad" is also how I sometimes prefer to think about the stories I write. :)

 **DarkFoxKit:** Heh, well it does keep us from focusing on this story much. ^^' But anyways, let's get to the reviews.

 **Shine** **: DarkFoxKit:** My stories or Connor's? I'm assuming you mean mine since it's on my account. Thank you for commenting, we appreciate anyone who takes the time to review the story.

 **Ninten64:** **Connor:** Thanks. :) And yes, it's difficult to have too many scenes with Ness and Lucas together since it means that we're writing each other's characters, but we do try to keep their stories connected. As for Lloyd… well, I guess we'll see. ;)

* * *

 **Chapter 17: Deciding One's Fate**

Lucas had silently followed the others into the basement, staying hidden by the wall. He may not be good at fighting, but stealth is something that comes easy to him due to his years of hiding from the Pigmasks. He had listened to every word Kumatora, Ness and Paula talked about. Lucas wondered why Kumatora didn't want to share this information with him, was it really because he was just a lowly soldier to her? Maybe he was, but he still wanted to know what was going on.

Lucas learned about the fusion bomb and about Ana Rosewell and her relationship with Ninten. He knew about Giygas, heck everyone knew about Giygas, but he was surprised to hear that one of the original heroes who defeated Giygas eleven to twelve years ago was the mastermind behind this war. Lucas just couldn't understand why someone who helped save the world would suddenly turn against it, what was her purpose?

"I want to visit my family. They deserve to know that I'm going into one of the deadliest places on Earth," Ness said.

Chernobyl, Lucas didn't know much about it, just that it had something to do with a nuclear disaster long ago.

"Okay Ness, I'll go with you," Paula said. "Kumatora, you take Lucas home. Ness and I will see if we can track down Ana in Chernobyl once we finish saying our goodbyes."

"Sounds like a plan," Kumatora said as she came out of the hot spring.

Paula took Ness's hand, giving him a small smile.

"Teleport Beta!" Ness said before he and Paula started spinning around a few times before they disappeared.

* * *

When Ness and Paula were gone, Kumatora gave a small sigh before she said, "You can come out now, Lucas. I know you're there. I can sense your PSI."

Lucas gave a small gulp. Of course, he forgot that Kumatora could sense PSI. The young boy slowly came out from behind the wall, timidly walking up to Kumatora.

"Lucas, I thought I told you this was classified information," Kumatora said.

"I know, but… why?" Lucas asked. "I know I'm only a soldier, but after everything that's happened… don't you think I deserve to know? I got caught up in everything when I didn't even want to. I got caught up in the attack of Dalaam, I got high thanks to this Ana Rosewell and attacked Ness and Prince Poo, Porky and Ana have my brother under their control, and Duster's dead because of them!"

Kumatora frowned as Lucas went on. "I'm sorry, Lucas. I didn't know all that happened to you. It's not like I wanted it to happen to you. You said Duster's dead?"

"Yeah…" Lucas frowned. "He died when a rockslide fell on top of him. I tried to help him, but I was too late… Duster said something about finding the Humming Bird egg, but I don't know what that is."

Kumatora began walking up the stairs, "Follow me, Lucas. I think I know where it is."

Lucas followed Kumatora up the stairs of Osohe Castle.

"I'm surprised that Duster was with you," Kumatora said. "I heard from Ninten he came, but I didn't get a chance to see him."

"You know Duster?" Lucas asked.

"Of course, he and his father Wess looked after me when my parents left me as a baby," Kumatora said. "I was also watched by the Magypsies, they taught me how to use PSI."

Lucas looked down at his feet when she mentioned the Magypsies. Lucas remembered them all too well. They weren't the type to be so easily forgotten. But that also reminded of something else.

"When I faced with Porky in Dalaam," Lucas said. "He gave us a prophecy: someone with PK Love _will_ pull all the Needles and awaken the Dragon. It couldn't be me since I already decided not to pull those Needles, so he must be talking about Claus. Claus is my twin brother, so he more than likely have PK Love too."

"That's a scary thought," Kumatora said. "But… Lucas, I have a confession to make, when you first told me and Ninten that you could use PK Love, I was tempted to bring you back to Nowhere Island so you could pull the Needles and awaken the Dragon."

"What? Why?" Lucas asked, frowning.

"Because I was raised by the Magypsies," Kumatora said. "They kept going on and on about 'the time' drawing near. 'The time' being when the chosen wielder of PK Love show up and awaken the Dragon with their own hands. They said it was important that the Dragon is awoken when the time comes, and that their heart must be pure, so that the world could begin anew. Seeing what kind of person you were, Lucas, I knew you were the right person to awaken the Dragon. However, it was clear that you didn't want to do that, and you told me that was why you left Nowhere Island in the first place."

Lucas sighed as he said, "I don't want to end the world. I don't care what the reasoning is, or that it's destiny, or that 'the time' is here. When the Dragon wakes up, it'll cause a cataclysm that's pretty much the apocalypse, right? Meaning everyone and everything on this planet will die before it creates a new one in its place. I don't want that. I know this world is broken, but I like to believe we can rebuild it so nobody has to die."

"But don't you get it, Lucas?" Kumatora asked. "People are already dying. There's already been a mass massacre because of this war."

"Even so, that's still better than the whole world being dead," Lucas argued. "I don't _want_ people to die, which is why I try not to fight to kill. If I pulled those Needles and awaken the Dragon, then I would condemn everyone, not just a few hundreds, but _all_ of them to their deaths. I don't know why the Magypsies or destiny want the world to end so badly, but it's not going to be by my hands."

"You know Lucas, that attitude is probably why the Magypsies figured you should be the one to pull the Needles in the first place," Kumatora said. "They want a happy ending to this world. But I suppose that's only wishful thinking at this point."

Kumatora lead Lucas to a window after climbing a lot of stairs. There was something shiny on the ground outside the courtyard.

"The Humming Bird egg is just up ahead," Kumatora said. "But take a look at that."

Lucas walked over to the window. His eyes widen when he saw that glowing object. It was a Needle. Stuck on the ground, the Needle pulsed and glowed with a mysterious power. Lucas almost felt like it was calling out to him, but he turned away and walked ahead.

"Yeah, it's a Needle," Lucas said. "But that doesn't matter to me. I'm not here for it, I'm here for the Humming Bird egg."

Kumatora gave a sigh before she said, "Alright, it's just a little further ahead."

They finally reached the top of the castle. Kumatora opened the door to the last room in Osohe Castle. There was a glowing egg with a weird symbol on it and little wing-like things on the side.

"There's the egg," Kumatora said. "Legend says that it can manipulate people's memories. I guess that's why Duster was looking for it."

Lucas went up to the egg before gently taking it. He turned to Kumatora and said, "I'm glad I got it, but…"

"We should get out of here now," Kumatora said. "And get back to Merryville."

"I'm worried about my dad and Boney," Lucas said. "They were teleported away by Poo, the Dalaam Prince, but I haven't seen them. I hope they're okay, but there's… something else I need to do."

"What's that?" Kumatora asked.

"Could you look after the Humming Bird egg?" Lucas asked as he handed Kumatora the egg.

"Well sure, but why?" Kumatora asked.

Lucas sighed before he said, "You said Ness and Paula are going to Chernobyl, right? And that Ninten is there too, to face Ana. The mastermind who orchestrated this war, right?"

"... Lucas, are you planning to go there yourself?" Kumatora frowned.

"Yes," Lucas answered. "I want to face Ana. My brother Claus is working for her, and I want to know why and how I can get him back."

"You can't, Chernobyl is dangerous, especially for a pacifist soldier like you," Kumatora said.

"Kumatora," Lucas said. "I don't like fighting, but I can hold my own if I need to. You and Ninten didn't train me all those months for nothing, you know."

"But you heard what I said about rogue American soldiers right now, didn't you?" Kumatora said. "I can't send out-"

"That's fine," Lucas said. "Because I'm not one of the American soldiers anymore."

"What?" Kumatora frowned, looking at Lucas in confusion.

"I betrayed them the moment I helped the enemy," Lucas said. "And as a traitor, I am to either be punished by death or banished. Are you going to execute me?"

Kumatora shook her head, she couldn't do that to him. "But I technically helped the enemy too by giving them the information I did."

"It doesn't matter," Lucas said. "Because I'm leaving the American military for good. I don't want to be a soldier anymore, especially not for this pointless war. Just know my decision doesn't affect my dad or Boney's. If you find them, please take them in and heal them if they're hurt."

Kumatora sighed before she said, "I can't stop you if that's what you want to do, Lucas."

"Thank you, Kumatora," Lucas said. "Because I'm not on either side of the war, I'm free to do what I want. Kumatora, can you tell me how to get to Chernobyl?"

Kumatora gave another sigh before she said, "Ninten may kill me for this, but if you're going there anyway, I might as well teleport you there. I don't have to teleport myself to get you there, I can just teleport you. But this is a one way ticket, if you need to get back be sure to hang on to Ness or Ninten since they can use Teleport."

Lucas nodded and said, "I understand, Kumatora. And thank you for this."

"Just don't you go dying on me, kid, I actually kind of like you," Kumatora said as she ruffled his blond hair.

Lucas looked up to her and gave a smile, "No promises, but I don't plan on dying out there. Not until I can bring my brother back."

"Just don't die period," Kumatora said. "Okay kid, be careful out there. Watch yourself, and don't go into the area until Ness arrives. Stay close to him."

Lucas nodded, "I will."

"... Teleport," Kumatora said as Lucas watched everything around him become disorientated.

* * *

 ***Several minutes earlier...***

"No wonder you asked if I had a jacket with me," Paula said, shivering and rubbing her hands together. "I didn't know that you put your parents in psyching _Winters."_

Ness said nothing. He wanted to respond, but with his heart pounding in his chest, all words failed him. He looked at the little red door on the little brown house with its roof covered with snow. His only communication with his mother and Tracy had been an abrupt phone call shortly after they moved in; he wasn't entirely sure if they were still there.

"Ness?" Paula said.

Ness sucked in a deep breath of air, which proved to be a mistake. The icy wind rushed into his lungs, forcing him to cough. He put a hand over his chest in a fruitless attempt to warm up his insides.

"Are you all right?" Paula said. 'You can always heal colds with your PSI, you know."

"I'm fine." Ness cleared his throat. "Let's get this over with."

"Get this over with?" Paula raised an eyebrow. "Shouldn't a goodbye to your loved ones be more enthusiastic?"

"Well, I don't see you demanding to see your parents."

"Come on," Paula said, smiling at Ness. "We all know that you're the only one of us who gets homesick."

 _The only one of us…_

"It might just be us two left," Ness said. "We all survived Gigyas, but I guess we weren't prepared for what happened next."

"Only us?" Paula said. "What happened to Poo?"

"I'll tell you once we're inside." Ness looked back at Paula while knocking on the door. As usual, her expression showed concern and worry but not weakness. Paula cared and feared for her friends, but she wouldn't back down in face of the truth. "It will be easier to explain to everyone."

Ness heard the door open behind him and felt a rush of warm air on his arms and the back of his neck.

"I know that look of yours, even turned around," he heard in Tracy's voice. "You had better come in so that you don't freeze to death sulking out there."

 _Sulking?_ Ness thought.

"I think she's right," Paula said, flashing an insufferable smile and walking past Ness to enter the house. "Ooh, I like the new hair color, Tracy."

Ness sighed and rolled his eyes, turning around to enter the house. Tracy's hair was colored red instead of its normal blond. It looked surprisingly natural, considering that Tracy had probably done a lot of the coloring herself.

"The best part is that this is part of a _disguise,_ " Tracy said, holding up part of her hair with a hand. "So I have an actual reason for looking so awesome."

"I still think that it's not authentic," Ness said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Most actual redheads have freckles."

"Yeah, that's why I'm _better._ "

"But for the purposes of a disguise, it doesn't work. And that's freckleist."

"Freckleist?" Tracy snorted. "Come on, Paula. Back me up here."

"I have nothing against freckles," Paula said. "But I feel the need to oppose Ness on principle."

Ness sighed, stepping inside the house and closing the door behind him. He ran a finger over his arms and felt all of the hairs sticking up. Why did he get _more_ goosebumps when a part of him got warm?

"I should really keep you two away from each other," Ness said. "I don't know if I said this before, but-"

"But we're a terrible influence on each other," Paula finished for him. "Yes, you've said that plenty times. You must have the memory of a wolverine."

Tracy blinked.

"Uh… what?"

"Inside joke," Ness said. He wanted to laugh, but thinking of that joke reminded him of Fuel, who was still missing. "I'm here for an actual serious reason. Where's mom?"

"Out somewhere." Tracy shrugged. "I love this cute little town, but there's nothing to _do_ here. And since we're not really supposed to make too many friends and reveal who we are…"

"Seems like it would be hard for people _not_ to know you in a small town," Paula said.

"We do our best, and the snowstorms give us a helping hand every once in a while. Still, it's not exactly what I would call an exciting life."

"Well," Ness said. "Better than the alternative."

Tracy paused, taking a moment to look at Ness.

"You're probably right," she said. "As much as I'm jealous of how people swoon over you, I'd never want to go through what you actually do on a daily basis. What happened while you were gone, bro? I know that this visit means you're about to drop some bad news."

Tracy had him, and they both knew it. Beating around the bush would only stall him more time. Ness told Tracy and Paula everything, from the fight in Onett to the pigmasks dropping a nuclear bomb on Dalaam. Paula gasped when Ness told her about Poo's poison. Ness had a sinking feeling in his gut that Poo was already dead; he knew from experience that Poo wouldn't wait around twiddling his thumbs until th epoison overtook him.

He would teleport back to Dalaam and get as many people out as he could before something killed him.

He didn't share his suspicions with Paula, despite the fact that she would probably want to hear them. He couldn't bear to see someone he cared about suffer more than they had to.

"Okay," Tracy said. After a moment, she stuck his tongue out at him. "Knowing you, I'm not even surprised. You're an absolute trouble magnet. Always have been."

"Let's hope that it doesn't stay that way, for our sakes," Paula said. She offered a smile, but it couldn't disguise the way that her voice shook.

 _Poo and Jeff, gone right after each other,_ Ness thought. _This entire world's going to pieces, and I don't know if I can save it this time._

"We'll pull through," Paula said, putting a hand on Ness' back. "We beat Giygas, right? Some crazy woman in a radioactive wasteland should be easy to fight by comparison."

"But that's the thing," Ness said. "If we beat her, our problems don't go away. I don't know how much I trust Ninten and Kumatora, but let's say that they're completely honest with us and they have our best interests in mind. Even if we beat Ana and they vouch for us, do you think that the American Government is just going to let us go?"

"Probably," Paula said. "This is the age of information. If their people knew that they sacked our cities all over a simple misunderstanding and that _we_ took care of the problem…"

"The government would be forced to give in," Tracy said. "When rich white people suffer and it's not actually our fault this time, suddenly the government starts to care."

Paula gave Tracy a high five, and they both smiled at Ness.

"Okay, even _if_ everything turns out well," Ness said, "This was still a war that claimed thousands of lives, probably millions by now, and rebuilding will take time and resources." He shifted his gaze back and forth from Paula and Tracy. "Even among those who survived, a lot of people lost their homes. I'm sure many people will lose their jobs. Millions will suffer because of the ripples that this war caused. Remember how we felt when Jeff died? There are _thousands_ of Jeffs out there, and each one meant something to their loved ones!"

By then, Ness realized that he was shouting. Tracy looked stunned with her mouth wide open; he looked over at Paula and saw the gears turning in her head as she mulled over his words.

"And picture Jeff who can't do science anymore because his home got _destroyed,_ " Ness said, his voice just as harsh but softer this time. "Everything that made him laugh and smile would be gone, and now he has to live in poverty. That's a reality for countless more people. This isn't a time to joke around and give each other high-fives!"

"Ness…" Tracy said. "You were never like this before. Even when starmen invaded Onett, you came home with a big grin on your face. You had bags under your eyes and could hardly walk up the steps to your bed on your own, but you kept on smiling."

"And?" Ness said, more sharply than he had intended.

"And you _won._ " Tracy bit her lip. "Do you really think that you would have gotten as far as you did without your stupidly optimistic attitude? Why do you think that you became the unofficial leader of your group?"

"Because I had more experience with that sort of thing."

"Jeff lived in a boarding school for _years._ He knew all the ins and outs of living without parents. Besides, he's smarter than you by at least an IQ of 20."

"At _least?_ "

"More like 30. I'd put you in the 90 to 95 range, and Jeff was hella smart."

"Please don't say 'hella' ever again."

"I like how you focus on my word choice more than the actual insult." Tracy cleared her throat. " _Anyway,_ you're basically the least qualified out of anyone to be the leader. Paula and Jeff are smarter, Poo's wiser, and the rest of them don't curl up into a ball and become homesick. So why were you the most effective member of the group?"

"You're really making it hard to say anything in my favor, here."

"You cared," Tracy said. "You _believed._ Nothing could shake you. Nothing was going to stop you from beating Giygas."

"You just talked about my homesickness-"

"I thought that was cute," Paula said with a shrug. "It reminded me of what we're fighting for. Seeing that haggard look on your face fade away as you talked to your mom on the phone always made my day."

"Exactly!" Tracy's face lit up. "Caring is never a weakness, even when it stops you from smacking things. _Especially_ when it stops you from smacking things."

"Hmph," Ness said. "So you're saying that I was just so happy and stupid that everyone followed me because why not?"

"It's not quite like that," Paula said. "You just loved life and everything about it, and it doesn't look like you do anymore. That's why Tracy's concerned."

"Your passion carried you through your hardest moments," Tracy said. "If you lose that…"

"I can't win anyway," Ness said. "No matter what I do, people will suffer."

"And you're just noticing this _now?_ " Paula said.

Her incredulous tone took Ness aback. She had never spoken this way to him before.

"Look," Paula said. "I've tried to drop hints over the years. I've tried to see your side of the issue. But you're a way better person than I am, so you'll _listen_ to me even if I shout in your ear like the asshole that I am."

 _Well,_ Ness thought. _She's right that I'll shut up and listen to her. I have no idea what she'll say now that she's this angry._

"Do you think that everything was perfect back when we were saving Giygas?" Paula said. "He _corrupted_ people. Make them kill each other. And afterwards, not all of the problems went away. Sure, people said that they would forgive and forget, but old slights run deep. Our entire stunt with Giygas alienated Porky and it _caused him to tear apart the Nowhere Islands one piece at a time._

"Our actions _always_ make people hurt. I know that you're friends with Fuel and you probably like Lucas more than I do. Why are they suffering? It all comes back to Porky and Giygas. If we hadn't beaten Gigyas, Porky wouldn't have forced them into this war. So do we blame ourselves for that?"

"I guess we do," Ness said.

"No!" Paula shouted. "What else were we supposed to do, let Giygas _win?_ "

"No, but it's our fault that those people are still hurting."

"We did all that we could, and we did it because we laughed and smiled in the face of a terrible threat. If you look at only the bad in life, then you'll _become_ the bad in life."

"Please," Tracy said, looking Ness in the eye. "I know that this is hard for you. I know that it's stupid coming from me, someone so useless that I can't even use a pistol to defend myself. You've gone through hell and I have _no_ idea how it feels." Tracy looked into his eyes and smiled. "But I still can't stand to see you like this."

It took Ness several minutes to consider every implication of every word. During that time, nobody spoke. Tracy chewed at one of her fingernails while Paula never let her gaze stray away from him. Eventually, Ness released a sigh.

"I can see that you're right," he said, "But I just can't _feel_ it. My emotions have never made any sense, even to myself." He let a smirk come to his face. "But your words made me realize something else. I'm angry. Angry at myself, at the world, and at Ana who caused all this mess. Maybe I'll work out my lack of a sunny attitude later, but…" Ness cracked his knuckles and then his neck. "Ana is going to pay for what she did to Eagleland."

For a moment, Paula's expression remained neutral.

Then she started laughing.

"I'll take it," she said. "It's like we've switched positions. Now I'm the compassionate one and you're all angry."

"Well, you have to play the cards that you're given."

"I'm glad that my card of shouting at you worked," Paula said. "I don't like to resort to confrontation, but It really didn't seem like you were going to take the hint. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings."

"Nah." Ness smirked. "I needed to hear that."

"There's the Ness I know," Tracy said. "I guess we wait around to tell mom the news and then you take off?"

Paula nodded, but Ness already knew what he had to do.

"No," he said.

"Hmm?" Paula raised an eyebrow.

"Seeing mom again will be my incentive," Ness said, looking at Tracy. "I'll _force_ myself to stay alive so that I can see her again."

Tracy nodded slowly, her eyes flitting around.

"Okay. I guess I'll tell her that. You had _better_ come home, got it?" Tracy jabbed a finger into his chest.

"It's a promise," Ness said. Turning to Paula, "I can teleport us close to Chernobyl. I haven't visited there, but Kumatora sent me an image through telepathy so that I could see it clearly enough to warp there."

"Clever," Paula said. "Well, I'm ready whenever you are."

"Bye, Tracy!" Ness shouted, grabbing his backpack and heading towards the door.

"One last thing!" Tracy said. Ness turned back around to face her. "Mom and I just finished baking cookies not too long ago. Do you want one for old times' sake?"

Ness could feel his mouth water as he thought about the smell of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies.

"Looks like he's as hungry as a wolverine right now," Paula said, but Ness hardly heard her.

"I'd like nothing more than to have a cookie. Thanks, Tracy."


	19. Chapter 18: Chernobyl

**DarkFoxKit:** ***Lazily comes onto the AN*** Hey Connor, how've you been?

 **Connor:** I'd say pretty well, despite the fact that I have a massive chem lab report due tomorrow. Apparently some physicists published that they made "time crystals," whatever that means.

 **DarkFoxKit:** Time crystals? That sounds like something someone would use in a story as a plot element. ^^' Well, we better get this out so you can get to that chem lab report.

* * *

 **Chapter 18: Chernobyl**

In the abandoned city of Chernobyl, nothing made a sound except for Ness' and Paula's footsteps. Ness looked around at empty buildings with grimy windows and bare-branched trees as a cold breeze chilled him even through a puffy jacket.

 _I feel like I'm standing inside of a picture,_ Ness thought. _Nothing moves. Nothing speaks. Nothing lives._

…

 _It's almost like I'm witnessing the end of the world._

"The scenery getting you down?" Paula said, forcing a weak smile as she rubbed her hands together.

Ness took another look at the rusting train tracks and empty streets, at the dead bushes and worn fences. In the distance, Ness spotted a merry-go-round, but much of the paint over the wooden the horses had rotted off. Many were missing entire heads.

"How can anyone possibly live here?" Ness said. "There's nothing. I could walk for miles on this dirt road and not see a single soul. When I talk, it feels like nobody can hear me."

Paula wrapped an arm around Ness' side.

"I can still hear you," she said.

 _You also killed Pirkle,_ Ness thought. _Turned on him when it suited you. I know that you had your reasons, Paula, but…_

Ness gritted his teeth. He wasn't sure if he could ever trust her again. Sure, she smiled and hugged him now, but what if she decided that he needed to be taken out for one reason or another? Ness knew that she wouldn't hesitate before turning her plasma sword against him.

"Ness?" Paula said. She released him from her embrace and frowned. "Is everything all right?"

 _No,_ Ness thought. _Nothing is. The world was so simple before we defeated Giygas. How could I have possibly known that this was going to be the hard part?_

"I feel so alone," Ness said. "Even with you here, I can't…"

"I know," Paula said. "I spent more hours alone in my room than I can count, playing with my teddy bears. My father would hardly ever let people into my room. My life was a dark one before you entered it."

"I can remember," Ness said.

"Ah, right, you told me about how he stood watch over my room like a security guard even when I wasn't there," she said. "And then you were the one to rescue me."

 _And then you've been saving me ever since,_ Ness thought.

"But I guess it's natural that this place is so lonely," Paula released a sigh. "Nobody can live here, not after the nuclear disaster."

"We should be fine with our PSI healing, right?" Ness said.

"Theoretically."

"You mean you don't know?"

"Nobody's tried it before," Paula said with a shrug. "But if Ana operates here, I'm guessing she has some way of dealing with the radiation, and PSI seems like the natural answer."

Paula's mind worked in a way that Ness could never understand. When she spoke about Ana living in Chernobyl, he could see the gears turning in her head. The radiation wasn't a fear for Paula; it was a puzzle. She wilted whenever her father expressed displeasure, but she killed Pirkle to secure Fourside to the Americans and didn't give a second thought to deadly radiation.

Maybe Ness could use her style of thinking to compliment his own. He thought in terms of instinct rather than logic. He could force his way through uncertainty and ambiguity while Paula would take the time to come up with logical answers. Their combined skillset had allowed them to defeat Giygas.

Could Ness still count on her now?

"How long until this place becomes safe?" Ness said. "When will we not have to worry about the radiation anymore?"

"Scientists estimate about 20 thousand years," Paula said.

"20 _thousand?_ "

"I know." Paula flashed a wry grin. "One mistake here poisoned the Earth for millennia. It is hard to create but easy to destroy."

"And as soldiers, our jobs are to destroy."

"Right. We're part of the problem?"

"If you really think that, then how can you keep going?"

"It's a question that I ask myself every day," Paula said. "When I look into your eyes, it becomes a little easier to ignore."

A chill ran down Ness' spine. Someone so logical and jaded shouldn't be able to speak of intimacy and connection so easily. Ness had seen her drive a plasma sword through a girl younger than her and not even blink; how could she possibly turn around and claim that she could feel something so pure?

"You're easy to read, you know," Paula said, looking away. "I know that I scare you, Ness. And I don't blame you. Like I said, if I go down in history, it will probably be as a villain."

What was Ness supposed to say to that?

"I just feel like someone has to keep us grounded on Earth, you know?" Paula said, her voice delicate. "How can we possibly say what's good and what's bad when we can hardly understand ourselves, let alone the millions of other people on this planet? That's why I try to play the numbers game. Save as many people as I can. Help as many people as I can. Why should it matter if I kill or lie or steal?" Paula shook her head. "I don't know if God agrees, but I hope that he at least understands."

"If it served your goal," Ness said. "Would you kill me?"

"I don't know why it ever _would._ "

"Answer the question."

"You're really tough when you get like this, you know." Paula crossed her arms over her chest.

"Answer. The question."

Paula looked up at the thin, blue sky and sighed.

"No, I wouldn't."

 _Wait, what?_

"I'm a selfish person," Paula said. "I don't know what I would do if you left me, Ness. I already lost Jeff, and Poo's probably going to join him soon. You're the only one I have left. If I were to kill you..." She shuddered. "I don't think that I'd be able to handle the nightmares."

 _Compassion is never a weakness, Paula,_ Ness thought. _We want to protect our friends for a reason._

Then again, Paula would probably say that the reason had something to do with evolution and therefore had no bearing on morality. Ness still didn't quite understand how she mixed her science in a religion.

"Uh…" Ness said, passing by an empty ferris wheel. "Do you know where we're going?"

"I'm picking up on something with my PSI Magnet," Paula said. "I'm hoping that it will lead us to Ana." She frowned. "But we might have to find another strategy soon."

"Why?"

"Because the signal's coming from right here," Paula said, pointing at the ground in front of them.

A moment later, a person appeared in front of them, gasping for air. He wore a black trench coat that matched up with his sleek, black hair. He turned around to face Ness and Paula, and his eyes widened in surprise.

"You're the last people I expected to see here," he said, taking steps back with his arms raised. "What are you doing in this wasteland?"

"I could ask the same thing to you, Ninten," Paula said.

"Heh." Ninten cracked a smirk, taking in a gulp of air. "I think you know why I'm here. And I have a guess as to why you followed me."

" _Followed_ you?" Ness said. "You may be a bigshot, but you don't need to give yourself so much credit."

"Okay, you followed the cloaked person. Same idea." Ninten stood up straight, lowering his guard. "Did Kumatora send you?"

"Of course not!" Ness said. "She merely presented us with the facts and we went rogue and decided to head over here. Really, she had nothing to do with the decision."

Ninten raised an eyebrow.

"That's Ness' idea of a joke," Paula said. "We're here to help you."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Ninten said. "This fight is mine and mine alone."

"Oh, come on," Paula said. "Don't be like that. The fate of the world-"

"This is _my_ fight," Ninten repeated. "My past. You know what it's like to gaze into the depths of evil, to be overcome by a force so powerful and terrible that you fall to your knees and beg for it all to end. That's how you beat Giygas, right? Just prayed out of desperation?"

Paula's gaze hardened, and her eyes conveyed all of the anger that her words never could. Ness took a step away and fidgeted as he tried to ignore the rage radiating from Paula's gaze.

After a moment, she laughed.

"Is that really the best that you can do?" Paula said. "We get it, Ninten. You're a grumpy old man who wants to face his past. But you can't get rid of us just by acting rough. What kind of heroes would we be if we abandoned you now?"

"The smart kind," Ninten said. "I'm walking into a trap, and I don't want anyone else coming with me."

"And it looks like you already found a trap," Ness said. "What happened to you? Why did you just appear in front of us?"

"I was fighting a man wearing the helmet of an American PSI-user and needed to escape." Ninten shrugged, looking up at the sky. "I jumped through time rather than space. It looks like I only lost a couple of hours."

 _Sounds like Claus,_ Ness thought. _I guess he survived whatever happened in Dalaam._

"4th-D slip," Paula said. "That's your signature ability, isn't it?"

"Yes, the ability to run and hide. How noble. How special." Ninten shook his head. "I don't know where the cloaked person is hiding, but I'll teleport away just to get you off of my tail if I need to."

"We know that the cloaked woman is Ana," Ness said. "She was your friend, right?"

"Oh, do you now?" Ninten said, sounding unconvinced.

 _Wait… what?_ Ness thought. _He has to know that it's her._

"You can't deny that there's a lot of evidence linking the cloaked woman's identity to Ana," Paula said. "What do you know that we don't?

"..."

"Ninten?"

"I know that I saw Ana's dead body with my own eyes," Ninten said, turning away. "I found her corpse here, right after the nuclear disaster that happened about ten years ago. Our culprit is someone else, and I think that I know who it is. Teleport alpha."

Ninten accelerated from a standing position to a full-on sprint in a matter of seconds, weaving between trees and buildings. He disappeared from sight with a blink.

"Wait," Ness said. "It's _not_ Ana?"

"According to Ninten, anyway," Paula said. "I'm honestly not sure how much we can trust him right now. I don't doubt his intentions, but he looked… out of it."

"He said that he's walking into a trap," Ness said. "And that he knows who the cloaked woman really is. If he has a reason to be that concerned…"

"Not thinking about giving up already, are you?" Paula smirked.

"Of course not! Where do we go next?"

"Well, my PSI Magnet detects something else in the distance. I guess we should head over there?"

"Sounds like a plan to me. Eventually, we'll find where the cloaked woman his hiding."

"Or we'll succumb to the dangerous radiation," Paula said, the smirk popping back onto her face. "One or the other."

"Wait, you said that PSI healing should work on radiation damage, right?"

"It _should_ work," Paula said. "Let's just hope that we can get out of here quickly. I don't like this ghost city any more than you do."

 _We're one step closer to finding Jeff's killer…_ Ness thought. _And boy, am I going to have some choice words when I see her again._

* * *

Lucas found himself standing in the middle of a ruined city. The place was dead and empty. The buildings were all falling apart, grime covered the buildings and windows. It was a rather sad and pitiful looking place. Lucas realized that he was all alone out here, and it was creepy.

 _I know Kumatora told me not to go too far until I can find Ness, but… where do I even go? How would I find Ness? I can't use PSI Magnet like she can…_

Deciding moving around would be better than standing and doing nothing, Lucas began walking. The place was quiet, the only thing Lucas could hear was the sound of his footsteps. He didn't really know what to make of this abandoned city called Chernobyl, but Kumatora said something about a nuclear bomb going off here.

While walking around, Lucas couldn't help but let his mind wander. There was nobody to talk to out here, so all he could do was turn to his thoughts for company in this lonely city.

 _Is this what the end of the world would be like? Everything destroyed, people and life just gone, nothing but ruins left? Whatever happened here… would it happen too if someone were to awaken the Dragon from Nowhere Island? … No, I shouldn't think about that. I'm here and far away from Nowhere Island and that Dragon. I should try to focus on finding Ness, or anyone really. I wonder if Ninten is nearby…_

Lucas heard a noise, making him freeze for a few seconds. The boy listened to hear if there was anyone else here. After a second or two, he heard footsteps. Lucas looked around, trying to see where this person or creature was coming from.

"So you came all the way out here," A familiar voice from behind Lucas, causing the boy to jump.

Lucas spun around to see Claus looking at him. Lucas quickly tried to calm his beating heart down, before he said, "C-Claus, you're… here."

"Of course I'm here, my boss is here too," Claus said. "But why are _you_ here?"

"Your boss?" Lucas frowned, remembering that Kumatora said Ana may be here and the one behind this war. "You're working for Ana?"

"Ana?" Claus said, looking at Lucas. "Oh, you mean the person my boss was pretending to be."

"What? Pretending?"

"Heh… Ana Rosewell, the real Ana, had died a long time ago."

Lucas was shocked to hear this, "But why would your boss pretend to be Ana? What would they gain from that?"

"Heck if I know," Claus said. "They wouldn't tell me much, but they saved me from that fatso Porky, and I had nowhere else to go so I went with whatever orders they gave me."

"You… really don't remember me, do you?" Lucas said sadly. "You really have forgotten who you really are and where you came from…"

Claus looked at Lucas before he said, "The brainwashing fluids Porky gave me made sure I would have no memory of my past, and even though I broke out of Porky's control I still couldn't remember. So I only had my boss to turn to when they rescued me. For the longest time, I didn't care what the boss wanted, I just wanted to please them because they were the only ones who saved me from being Porky's slave. ...And then I met you, Lucas."

"Me?" Lucas said, surprised when Claus said that.

"When we first met, I thought you were just another soldier the Americans recruited. I knew you had PSI, but that was about all I knew about you. I was ordered to try and stop you and Poo from helping Ness," Claus said. "But then you called me 'Claus'. I didn't know I had a name, I was just called 'boy' by my boss, and 'commander' by Porky. At first I thought you were trying to play a trick on me, but you looked so genuine and sincere the more you talked. You never fought back even when I was trying to hurt you. You knew so much about me, you knew things I didn't and you seemed so sure and genuine that I couldn't convince myself that you were lying."

"That's because I wasn't lying… you were my twin brother, Claus, long before Porky or your boss ever took you in," Lucas said softly.

"And that's what scared me," Claus said. "You knew so much about me and I knew nothing about you. I knew then that I wasn't alone in the world like I thought, but I couldn't disobey what my boss wanted, so I ended up running away."

"Claus…" Lucas frowned.

"I guess… after that, everything changed," Claus said. "I began to wonder more about you and my past life. I needed to know if I had a family out there, people who actually cared and missed me. It made me not want to go through with the rest of my boss's plan."

"You do, Claus. Dad and I really missed you since you went missing three years ago," Lucas said. "I just… wish I knew the Pigmasks kidnapped you on the day our mother died…"

"Our mother… is dead?" Claus frowned.

"Y-yeah…" Lucas looked down.

"What… was she like?" Claus asked.

Lucas gave a sad smile before he said, "She was kind and caring, she made us laugh when we cried, she would take care of us when we were sick, she would read us bedtime stories at night… she made the best omelets, and that's why it became our favorite food. She always knew what to say when we were feeling down."

"She sounded like a really wonderful person," Claus said.

"S-she was…" Lucas said, feeling his tears rolling down from his face and quickly wiped it, he didn't need to start breaking down in front of Claus now.

"What about our dad?" Claus asked.

"Our Dad is the strong, silent type. Well he talks, but he usually prefers to just listen rather than say much. He's strong and he cares, he was like Tazmily Village's silent superhero at the time, before the Pigmask came around," Lucas said, giving a nostalgic smile. "We looked up to him, especially you, Claus. You were probably closer to Dad than I was before you disappeared."

"I see… And you?" Claus asked.

"I'm just… me," Lucas said. "What you see is what you get, Claus. I'm just a young boy who got caught up in this war. I have PSI, but I rather not use them if I can avoid it. I didn't want to be a soldier, not for America, not for Eagleland. But times were hard, and they promised to feed us if we joined. But after what happened in Dalaam, I quit."

"Heh, so now you're a free roamer?" Claus said.

"Yes. I'm not on anyone's side," Lucas said. "And… I wanted to find you, Claus. I really missed you."

"I know," Claus said. "Your eyes and tears pretty much told me everything. If I was still under Porky's control, I most likely wouldn't have noticed. I could barely function as a human being as Porky's little robot, that was the perfect way to describe me; a robot. I had no emotion, I only followed orders, the only human thing about me was that I still had to eat and sleep."

"I can't believe Porky did that to you!" Lucas frowned, feeling anger at the thought of what Porky did to his brother.

"The man was messed up, really messed up," Claus said. "But ever since my boss broke me out of Porky's control, well, I've recovered from that thankfully, but I just never remembered my past."

"I'm glad, glad that you're not a robot anymore, Claus," Lucas said. "Even though I never saw you like that, I'm glad you're not."

"You'd probably cry a lot," Claus chuckled.

"Thanks! Just because I cry to you doesn't mean I cry to everyone!" Lucas grumbled.

Claus chuckled and shook his head, "Well… I do know one thing my boss wanted above all else… they wanted this war to happen, for a very specific reason. They wanted to show how broken the world is."

"Why?" Lucas asked. "I know the world isn't the happiest place ever, but why would they go through all this trouble just to show how messed up it is?"

"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Claus said. "I know there's a much bigger reason why they're doing all this, but they won't tell me. After meeting you, Lucas, I knew I had to find you again."

"Why?" Lucas asked.

"I needed to know the truth," Claus answered. "I needed to know… if I truly was someone important to you. I needed to know if there were people out there who truly cared about me. And now… I do. Lucas, I don't want the cloaked person's plan to succeed, if it does, this could mean the end of the world."

"Do you know who the masked person really is?" Lucas asked.

"They never gave me a name, just that they're my boss," Claus said. "But I do know that they were Ninten's old childhood friend from long ago."

"They were Ninten's friend? But why is…?" Lucas frowned in confusion.

"Apparently there's a problem between those two," Claus said. "But that's not important right now. Lucas, if we don't stop the cloaked person soon, I fear the world will turn out like this city. Because I have people who care about me, people I can go back to, I don't want the world to end without a chance to talk to them again."

"Okay," Lucas said. "I was supposed to wait for Ness, but…"

"There's no time," Claus said. "Just follow me, I'll take you to where my boss is."

"I'll follow you Claus," Lucas said. _And make sure you never disappear again._

"Alright, come on," Claus said as he walked ahead with Lucas right behind him.


End file.
